WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW
by JOVANKA
Summary: EVER WONDERED HOW MAC AND STELLA FIRST MET OR WHAT THEIR FIRST CASE TOGETHER WAS?THEN READ ON...FOR OUR STELLA WHO CAN NEVER BE REPLACED!
1. Chapter 1

**Where the Wild Roses Grow**

**LEGAL STUFF:-NOT MINE - ALL CHARACTERS PRESS GANGED INTO THIS COMPLETELY AGAINST THEIR WISHES. INSPIRED BT THE SONG 'WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW" BY NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS.**

New York February 2009…………..

"As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die" Even after all these years and all that happened since that song still haunted Mac every lyric and note indelibly etched into his memory chilling him to the very core. It was the callout Mac had been dreading for the past eight years, hell the one they'd all been dreading; he arrived at the same secluded edge of the Hudson just like he had all those years earlier at 6.30am the first rays of the winter sun peeking out above him. They were already there waiting for him of course just as he knew they would be Stella and Flack "It's definitely him?" Mac asks his friends although he already knows the answer "Yes" Stella nods in reply "He's back in New York Mac, the wild rose is back."

*********************************************************************New York February 2001 ……………

She was gonna be late her first day as a CSI and she would be late! Stella Bonasera dashed up the steps to her new HQ as if her life depended on it (and she mused her career at any rate probably did.) Alright so technically it wasn't her fault she would be late she'd left her place at 6.30am in her brand new charcoal trouser suite and pristine blue blouse to catch the subway to her new job and by her calculations arrive at 7am a good thirty minutes early. So far so good but she'd only got half way to the station when she'd heared screaming coming from an alleyway and her cop instincts had kicked in. Inside the alleyway she found a scruffy youth trying to wrench a handbag from a frail looking old lady "Stop NYPD" She'd yelled at the top of her lungs and said youth had shot off with the handbag at light speed. Stella being Stella had given chase and ten minutes later had cornered the kid behind a Chinese restaurant, "Give it up" She had told him of course he hadn't (did they ever) and opted to charge Stella instead. But she hadn't walked the beat for all those years without learning a few things and managed to wrong foot him unfortunately for them both the impact of the kid's charge however deflected led to both of them in a heap amongst the restaurants garbage bags.

So here she was nearly 7.30am already, her hair had noodles in it, her blouse had acquired a soy sauce stain and her left trouser knee had a hole in it; Stella groaned inwardly all those hours studying, working for this day and she was probably going to have the shortest career as a CSI on record. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts and getting to work at long last that she didn't notice him, the man standing by the door talking on his cell phone and so for the second time that day she found herself falling in a crumpled heap on the floor with a strange man. "Yes I know I said we'd go stay with your parents this weekend …..Claire honey …..I know I promised …..don't slam the pho…." Mac Taylor snapped his phone shut in frustration. Then there she was in his arms she just seemed to barrel straight into him; a crazy woman with brown curly hair and what had to be the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. "Sorry…." She panted trying to squeeze past him "First day …. Late" She tried to explain, "Ah I see Stella Bonasera I presume" Mac asked; "Yes" She replied surprise registering in her voice that he knew her name. "Mac Taylor your new supervisor" He grinned letting her go, he had the kindest smile she decided but Stella's cheeks were burning with embarrassment "Kill me now" she muttered, "What?" He asked, "I think I got noodles on your tie Detective Taylor Sir" Stella squirmed.


	2. Chapter 2

New York February 2001……..

Stella stared at herself in the mirror she'd managed to finally remove the last vestiges of Chinese food from her hair "Hallelujah" she muttered to herself; after she'd disentangled herself from Detective Taylor he'd suggested that she might like to freshen up and Stella had been taking refuge in the ladies room ever since. Stella put her head in her hands and groaned what must he think of her? Her cheeks burnt just thinking of it maybe she could just stay here till she collected her pension. A polite knocking interrupted her train of thought "Detective Bonasera are you ok in there?" a woman's voice with a distinctive New York accent called out. "Yes come in" Stella called back. A dark haired woman with dark eyes and broad lips entered the room almost the same height as Stella she looked to be barely out of out of high school but she was wearing a white lab coat. "Hello my names Aiden …Aiden Byrne" She introduced herself, "Mac Taylor sent me to check on you he also thought you may want these" She held out a snow-white man's shirt and a needle and thread; Stella took them gratefully "Stella" She nodded in return "Thank you so much". "Not me Mac" Aiden insisted, "Your lucky to have him as your supervisor trust me he's the best at what he does and a nice guy too. Everyone's hoping when the old man retires next year he gets the job. "

Ten minutes later and Stella felt ready to face the world again, the shirt had been a little large for her so she'd rolled the sleeves up and tied it around her stomach; she had managed to repair the hole in her pants and a cursory check of her jacket had found it largely unscathed thankfully. Mac Taylor was a gentleman she decided staring at her reflection in the mirror once more and as kind as his smile had suggested she was really looking forward to working with him. Stella found him waiting for her outside the ladies room sporting a fresh tie "Better?" He asked "Much Thank you for the shirt Detective Taylor" She smiled; it wasn't just her eyes that were lovely he decided but her smile too. "Your welcome maybe you'll start a trend" He suggested "Well at least I don't smell like a number 42 anymore" She chuckled. "So what do we do first then Sir?" She asked, "First we need to go and see the old man he's expecting us" He told her as they walked along "But there is one thing if we are going to get along Stella my name is Mac …ok?" He asked. "Yes Si….Mac" She nodded.

Detective Joseph "Butch" Cassidy was getting far to old for this he decided, his hair once a deep obsidian black had long since turned a steel grey a stark contrast to his ebony skin. His lumbago was playing him up yet ago and his physique once described as athletic was now called cuddly by his wife. He felt older than usual today manly because of his newest recruit Bonasera she was a good five years younger than his youngest child; a man knew he was ready for retirement when his Detectives were still a twinkle in their fathers eye when he joined the NYPD. Mac Taylor knocked on his office door "Come in" He called out and Mac entered with a pretty curly haired young woman in tow. "Well now you must be Stella Bonasera" He greeted her; "Yes Sir" She answered shyly, "I've been hearing great things about you from Lieutenant Flack you graduated first in your class from the academy didn't you?" He smiled trying to put her at ease "And you came second out of 150 students taking the Csi exam too boot. Didn't you" Stella turned bright red not for the first time that day "Yes sir" she answered meekly. "Don't be ashamed of being good at your job Detective Bonasera that's why you're here. I make it a point of only employing the best to work in my lab. Detective Taylor will show you the ropes you can learn a great deal from him if you take the time to listen I have high hopes and even higher expectations of you" Cassidy finished. "Here this is for you" He said presenting her with a golden Detectives shield "Congratulations Detective Bonasera" He shook her hand "Thank you sir" She beamed clipping it to her pants "Don't thank me Bonasera make me proud" Cassidy told her.

Officer Donald Flack Junior shivered in the February cold at only 22years of age he was already being touted to make Detective in the next few years a regular chip off the old Flack block his partner Gavin Moran teased him. At the moment he, Moran and Detective Ray Buchanon were standing by the remotest part of the Hudson Flack had ever seen it felt like the end of the world to the young police man; no buildings, no people not even a proper road just a dirt track. They were there though waiting for the Csi's to show up; waiting with her to protect her from any more harm, the young woman who been found floating in the river. She had been found by two twelve year old boys out early fishing for bait, he and Moran had been called first to the scene followed by Buchanon and now what seemed like half the NYPD.

"About time too" Moran muttered as a SUV appeared on the horizon; "Heads up boys Super Mac is here to save the day again" Buchanon rolled his eyes "Whoeeeeeeeeeeeeee" He let out an appreciative whistle "Who the heck's that with him?" He asked spotting the curly haired young woman helping Mac unload equipment from the SUV. "Must be the new Csi used to work with Donnie's daddy….." Moran suggested; "Yeah well I think I'm in love ….. Wonder if I ask nicely she'll process my scene?" Buchanon smirked. "Donnie what's her name" Moran asked "Donnie……" He repeated getting no answer; Flack's mind was elsewhere something about the dead woman bugged him it was as if he'd seen this crime scene before somewhere …..Not the Vic herself she was a complete stranger but the crime scene itself he'd definitely been here before but how? "Donnie" Moran called his name for the third time; "Yeah she's cute…..Stella Bonasomething" He replied.

She was young, too young Mac thought as he and Stella processed their first crime together; "Couldn't be more than eighteen/nineteen Buchanon had told them when they had first arrived and Mac agreed. "She's beautiful" Stella said when they had gotten there first look at her; she had been fished her out of the water before the Csi's had arrived and she was lying on the frosty river bank ice blue eyes staring blankly into nothingness. Her lips were painted a vivid scarlet colour contrasting with the mop of shoulder length dirty blond curls covering her head spoiled only by the bloody oval shaped gash in her scalp, "COD?" Stella asked noticing where his gaze had fallen, "Possibly" Mac nodded; "Where is her left shoe?" He wondered out loud. She was wearing a low cut short black cocktail dress but only one shoe "There is something written oh her chest" Stella pointed out spotting the upper edges of what appeared to be lettering peaking above her neckline. Gently Mac rolled her dress top down to see "All beauty must die" had been carved just above her breasts "Sick bastard" Moran muttered from behind them. "Do we have an ID yet?" Mac asked "No" Buchannon replied, "We couldn't find her purse;" "What about a coat or jacket it's been below 0 every night this week" Stella enquired. "No nothing" Moran told them. "I think we can safely assume she's been swept down stream" Mac input, "We need to find the murder site and quickly before we have fresh snow fall."

Several hours later Stella found herself in autopsy for the first time; the M.E. was a mid-fortish Latino woman name Maria Vasquez "About time we got a few more female faces in this place" She grinned shaking Stella's hand. "Anything interesting to report" Mac asked her, "Walk this way" She indicated to the two Detectives "She wasn't in the water long no-more than ten hours I'd say and I'd put her time of death around then also so about 1.30 this morning. Stella you were right about the COD blunt force trauma to the head … I found plenty of trace for you both to play with." "What about her chest" Stella asked; "I would say a small sharp knife probably; think hunting or possibly fishing." Vasquez nodded "Any signs of a sexual assault?" Mac asked, "River washed any traces away however I did find bruising on her inner thighs" She explained. "Then there is this….." Vasquez had saved the best for last "I pulled it out of her mouth." "A rose?" Mac was astounded; Vasquez had presented him with a perfectly formed scarlet rose bud.

Stella opted to handle the trace whilst Mac took the rose bud side by side in companionable silence they toiled well into the night, "Hey guys" Aiden popped her round the door at around 9.30pm "Fingerprints have given us an ID on our water baby name's Grace Costello eighteen years old has five counts of prostitution and two for dealing on her record" She told them and with that she was gone. They carried on for a full two hours longer till Stella broke the silence by stifling a yawn "I hadn't realized it was so late" Mac said checking his watch "May be you should tell me what you've got and then call it a day" He suggested "This being your first day and all." "I will if you will …deal?" She offered; "Deal" He nodded. "Well pretty much what you would expect mud and debris from the river and the river bank plus fragments of limestone which given there shape and size points to the murder weapon being a medium sized rock which unfortunately are common place along the river" She finished. "The rose is anything but commonplace; I can't find any trace of pesticides or fertilizer of any kind and no sign of any of the pollution you would associate with city dwelling….. The soil is as equally clean no signs of cultivation at all. I'd say the bush this rose came from is growing wild somewhere which of course at the moment is of no help to us" He contributed.

"So this is where you live then?" Mac asked stopping his car outside of Stella's apartment block; She'd planned on catching the sub way home but Mac had insisted on driving her saying "I'm not having you wandering around in the dark alone with a madman on the loose cop or no cop" so she'd accepted. "Home sweet home" She nodded; "I remember my first day as a Detective my parents were so proud my mom must have showed my shield to the entire neighbourhood whether they liked it or not I bet yours will want to too" He chuckled. "I'd like to think so" She said softly; "Think so?" He asked "I lost my parents when I was very young there's no-one to show my shield to" She explained. "I'm so sorry Stella I had no idea…."He groaned; "Don't be not your fault anyway makes us even for the whole noodles on the tie incident" She smiled back. "At least you'll always remember your first day we all will I think. They would be very proud of you, your parents Stella I'm sure of it….."He was interrupted by his cell phone beeping; He checked and Stella could see at least fifteen missed calls having registered that day ….make that sixteen since Mac switched his phone off without answering.

"Claire my wife" was all he said by way of explanation; "I couldn't help but over hear this morning" Stella told him "I'm no expert when it comes to relationships but I don't think ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away is the solution." "I don't think there is one; a solution I mean….we are trying for a baby my wife can't conceive naturally so we are going through IVF" He sighed, "We just failed our third attempt so my wife thought maybe a break would do us good and then maybe a miracle would occur….." His voice trailed off. "But?" Stella asked; "Claire wants us to go stay with her parents in the mountains next weekend …it's not that that I don't like them…."He tried his best to explain. "But you really don't want to try making babies with an audience in attendance" Stella completed his sentence. "Exactly" He nodded; "I just can't seem to make Claire understand that…. Yet you do and we only just met" He said shaking his head "So why can't she?" "Can I make a suggestion" Stella asked nervously; "Anything" Mac smiled, "Try a bath" Stella smiled back. "A bath?" He was mystified; "Not just any bath; lots of her favourite bubble bath, candles, flowers, the works then sit her down and tell her what you've just told me I'm sure she'll understand. Claire needs to know how much you care about her that she still loved believe me I know what it's like to feel like a piece of meat there is nothing worse" She explained. "Thank you" He nodded thoughtfully "I'll try that…." "Your welcome" She said getting out of the car "Oh and I'll get this back to you as soon as possible" She pointed to his shirt. "Keep it as long as you want there's no rush…Good night Stella" He grinned shutting the car door "See you in the morning Mac" She grinned back.

He thought about Stella all the drive home; in all his years in both the Marine Corps and the NYPD he'd never felt such an instant rapport with a colleague or anyone else for that matter. He'd never particularly felt comfortable with grandiose expressions of emotion or felt the need to inform his entire department every time he and his wife had a domestic to such a point Claire had told him he was all buttoned up once; but he hadn't felt that way around Stella. It had just been so easy to tell her about his marital problems like they had known each other for decades not hours truth was he thought he couldn't remember even feeling so comfortable with Claire-he'd made a true friend today he was sure of it. Stella stepped into the shower and let the warm water run over her tired body "Mmm" She sighed to herself that felt so good; not exactly the first day as a Csi she'd envisaged but not quite the torture it had first seemed. She liked Aiden, Vasquez and the Old man a great deal already; then there was Mac of course- Stella had never really been that close to anybody before a product of her upbringing she supposed: foster families, friends, boyfriends they never seemed to stay in her life long but then again she never really stayed in one place long enough she supposed – being around Mac today had felt different though as if a switch had been flipped somewhere in her head she had never felt such a connection too anyone before it sounded silly even to herself but Stella felt like that for the first time ever she had found a best friend.

New York February 2009 ………

"We might get lucky it could be a copy cat" Flack shrugged; "We never found his body Flack" Mac pointed out; "Nobody could have survived that fall especially with a bullet in his chest could they? Stella asked. "Well we'll soon find out I suppose" Mac sighed as the three Detectives entered the autopsy suite; "Whaddaya got Syd" Flack asked the M.E. "Our Vic is young late teens to early twenties and quite lovely, COD is blunt force trauma to the head ….. There are signs of a sexual assault and yes I found a rose in her mouth" Syd told the trio; "What about her chest Syd" Mac's turn to ask eve though he already knew exactly what was going to happen next. "See for yourself" Syd told him pulling back the sheet covering their Vic to reveal "All Beauty must die" carved expertly into the soft flesh. "Syd is there any possibility we have a copy cat on our hands" Flack asked hopefully; "I reviewed the three case files from 2001 but I can't say definitely" Syd rubbed the bridge of his nose; "There are marked similarities as you are all well aware but also some inconsistencies for example she was missing her right shoe when they found her not her left."

"There is a third possibility we haven't considered" Flack pointed out to Mac and Stella; the trio had arrived back in Mac's office and were planning their next move; "We didn't get the wrong guy Flack" Stella insisted. "After today are you still so sure?" He argued "After everything we went through damn straight I am" Stella almost yelled at him; "I don't want you on this case Stella" Mac told her firmly "You're to emotionally involved." "You're not serious!" Stella turned her attention to Mac "I am on this case Mac or you can have my resignation now" She fumed. "If it keeps you away from the rose then I'd accept it" Mac yelled back; "Whoa! Let's cool down here shall we ….. Before someone does something we'll all regret…."Flack jumped in "We all got issues here right? I mean the rose got bad memories for us all." "I'm on this case Mac period" Stella folded her arms across her chest "Either as a member of this team or I go solo like Aiden did." Mac shuddered at that remembering Aiden's ultimate fate at the hands of DJ Pratt no way was he letting Stella go off alone after the rose he made Pratt look like a clumsy amateur so reluctantly he would concede defeat if it meant keeping Stella safe from harm "On one condition if I say enough then it's enough Stel ok? Copy cat or otherwise I do not want a repeat of eight years ago not again is that understood?" He told her; "Understood" She nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

New York February 2009……..

Nearly three years ……was it really nearly three years since she had last seen Aiden? "Where does the time go?" Stella Bonasera muttered too herself kneeling down to place the brightly coloured bunch of Asters she'd brought with her on to Aiden's grave. Stella had deliberately picked the brightest bunch of flowers she could find because Aiden had always been such a colourful person in life and somewhere out there Stella hoped her friend knew and had a big grin on her face. "I miss you" Stella told her; "I thought you might come here" Flack's voice echoed softly from behind her. "Flack are you following me?" Stella spun angrily on her heels to face him; "No of course not" He insisted "…..But all this rose stuff made me think about Aiden too and I know you like to come up here when you need to think." "It's calm here" She said "I can think clearly here away from….." "Mac" He finished; "Y'know I really hate it when I'm so predictable" She waggled a finger at him. "I worry that's all…." He admitted "Walk with me for a while" He asked offering her his arm; "Why Mr Flack I'd love too" Stella managed a small smile linking her arm through his.

"So what's worrying you Flack?" She asked as they strolled; "In general everything…. But specifically at this moment you and Mac are. Besides you don't usually go M.I.A in the middle of the afternoon" He replied; "We've been through this before and it nearly tore us apart then; like Mac said I don't want to go there again." "Maybe your right and it's a copy cat on the loose" Stella tried to comfort him "Wouldn't that be nice but I aint that lucky" He sighed stopping at a small bench; "I got a real bad feeling about this Stella." "Me too" She admitted as they sat down. "Mac was only trying to protect you y'know before I mean….." Flack told her "After last time he has a right to be worried doesn't he?" "I suppose ……" Stella begrudgingly admitted; "You suppose?" Flack raised any eye brow; "Ok so I'll be careful …..Very careful" Stella shrugged "It might not matter soon anyway." "How so?" Flack was intrigued "Ah well I was going to tell anyone just yet especially with the rose rearing his ugly head again but this might just be my final case for the NYPD anyway" She sighed. "Now your worrying me again Stell are you sick?" He asked his voice suddenly filled with concern. "No nothing like that ….there is a chance I might be getting married" She told him "…..And moving to Miami."

"Ok of all things you could have said not what I was expecting" He shook his head "Your not pregnant are you?" "Of course not" She sniffed "What do you take me for?" "Fireman guy I suppose" He huffed; "His name is Brendan and you know that" She jabbed Flack in the ribs "Ouch ….." He yelped "You've only been dating a few weeks it's a bit soon to be taking wedding bells isn't it?" "Six months …..He's got a job offer promotion actually but it's in Miami so he proposed and I said I'd think about it" She shrugged. "But……?"Flack asked "But what? That's it. Horatio Cane says there's a job for me there if I want it" Stella replied. "Your really serious about this aren't you?" Flack was shocked; "What you think I'm intending to spend the rest of my life as a Nun? I need to be held at night Flack; Brandon's a good man and he treats me well" Stella told him. "Yeah but nowhere did you say your in love with him isn't that why people usually get married" He pointed out.

"Oh so says the expert who took two years to ask Jess Knight for a date….." She teased; "Hey I was waiting for the right moment I wanted it to be perfect" He grinned; "I take it Mac doesn't know then?" "No only you and Aiden that's why I came to see her today I needed to tell someone" Stella explained "You won't say anything to him or anyone else just yet will you?" "You've always been able to trust me with your secrets you know that Stell" He assured her; "However you should tell Mac and sooner rather than later I think you two really need to talk don't you?" "I will when I've made my decision" She assured him "He probably won't even notice I'm gone anyway he's never noticed me in eight years I don't see why this should be any different." "Mac you moron" Flack muttered under his breath; "What?" Stella asked, "You know what Aiden would say if she could" He said out loud. "I'm not wearing any pink meringues?" Stella suggested; "That too" Flack agreed "Then she would say do what feels right in here" He said patting his chest roughly where his heart was "If marrying Brendan is what you really want then Jess and I will come dance at your wedding." "Thank you Donnie" She whispered kissing him on the cheek; "You haven't called me that since I made Detective" He grinned; "Really? I must do it more often then" Stella grinned back. "You do know your wrong about Mac thought don't you" He told her as they set off walking again, "He would miss you if you go……" much more than you could possibly know he finished silently.

It was almost 3.30pm when Stella and Flack arrived back the lab to find a team meeting in progress "Long lunch?" Mac eyed them suspiciously; "Something like that yeah" Flack replied. "So what do we know" Stella wanted to change the subject quickly "Vic's been identified as Megan Edwards 22 years old arrests for prostitution and drug possession on her record" Mac told them both; "Stella I want you to go over the three cases from 2001 again since you're the most familiar with them see if we missed anything or if there is any link to Megan Edwards she'd still have been a kid back then but you never can tell." Mac gave the rest of the team their assignments opting to search Megan's apartment himself taking Flack along as shotgun. "So are you going to tell me what's going on with Stella?" He pounced almost as soon as they left the building; "No" Flack replied firmly; he'd been expecting some kind of ambush by Mac since he and Stella had returned to the lab together earlier "Not this time; this is something you need to ask her yourself Mac but make it soon o.k.?" They continued their journey in silence after that; the uneasy feeling inside Flack's stomach growing all the while; how could two people who obviously cared so much for each other be completely oblivious to the other's feelings for them? Sometimes he wondered if he shouldn't just knock Stella and Mac's heads together, rose or no rose nothing was ever going to be the same again after this case was through he decided.

New York February 2001 ……..

Donnie Flack paced the length of Detective Mac Taylor's office nervously; "They are gonna think your one bunny short or a rabbit hutch Donnie you know that?" He told himself "Couldn't let it go could you? Nooooooooooooo just had to go all Steve McGarret on your only day off in weeks didn't you? The old man is gonna skin you alive when they laugh your ass right outta here….." "Ahem" A soft female voice interrupted his rant "Are you alright?" She asked; "Ffffine…" He stuttered "Your Detective Bonasera right?" He asked recognizing the young woman who had somehow manage to enter the room without him realizing "Officer Donald Flack junior I think we met last year at my dad's Fiftieth birthday party" Donnie held his hand out. "We did" She smiled shaking his hand "And its Stella remember?" He had been wrong about her when he told Buchanon Stella was cute down right gorgeous was closer he decided. "Donnie…" He nodded; "Ok so you said you had further information regarding the Grace Costello case" Stella probed. So Flack started to explain "Please don't think I'm crazy but something really bugged me about the crime scene like I'd seen it before. Lots of tiny little bells rang somewhere I just couldn't work out where anyway then I got a letter of an ex girlfriend …… which you really don't need to know and I'm babbling aren't I?" "Just a little" Stella grinned. He liked her smile ….Donnie what are you thinking he silently cursed this really isn't the right time to be thinking about girls smiling even darn cute ones so you had better damn well concentrate! "So I'll just get straight to the point have you got a CD player anywhere I can borrow I really think you need to hear this" His finished fishing a disk from his jacket pocket.

They call me The Wild Rose

But my name was Elisa Day

Why they call me it I do not know

For my name was Elisa Day

From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one

As she stared in my eyes and smiled

For her lips was the colour of the roses

They grew down the river, all bloody and wild

When he knocked on my door and entered the room

My trembling subsided in his sure embrace

He would be my first man, and with a careful hand

He wiped the tears that ran down my face

On the second day I brought her a flower

She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen

I said, 'Do you know where the wild roses grow

So sweet and scarlet and free?'

On the second day he came with a single rose

Said: 'Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?'

I nodded my head, as I lied on the bed

He said, 'If I show you the roses will you follow?

On the third day he took me to the river

He showed me the roses and we kissed

And the last thing I heard was a muttered word

As he stood smiling above me with a rock in his fist

On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow

And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief

As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'

And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth

The last notes of music faded away and Stella switched the CD player off "So what do you think?" She asked Mac; As soon as Donnie had played the song for her she had insisted they go straight to him. "I think you're both right Grace Costello's killer is using the song as a blueprint for murder with Grace taking on the role of Elisa Dey" He told them; "If that's true then we have a three day period to account for prior to her death" Stella nodded. "When we searched her apartment we didn't find any rose though." "She was a working girl right? Maybe she had business premises (so to speak) somewhere?" Donnie suggested; "Salsa classes!" Stella snapped her fingers excitedly, "Salsa classes?" Both men chorused. "When we were going through Grace Costello's apartment I found a business card in a draw for Salsa lessons personal tuition a speciality" She explained; "Well that's one name for it I suppose" Flack grinned.

Grace Costello's 'class room' had turned out to be a dingy room in an equally dingy Motel in the most squalid part of town; "Suddenly I feel the urge to take a bath" Stella muttered as she and Mac entered the building. Grace had rented room 5a for the past six months but he hadn't seen her in the three days before she had died but she had always paid up on time the Super told them and although he saw several male visitors to the room he always believed them to be Grace's students; "Of course you did" Was Mac's knowing response. So it was he and Stella began their search; the room was sparsely furnished just an unkempt bed and a small table along the back wall and a chair underneath the window. Grace's coat and bag lay draped over the chair "That solves that mystery" Stella pointed out "Still no left shoe" Mac noticed. "We got the rose though" Stella pointed to the table; it was standing in a paper cup half filled with water "Looks like you and Donnie were right about the song" He nodded. "Stella you start in here and I'll check the bathroom" Mac walked over to a door in the left hand corner of the room; "Ok" She agreed opening her case; "Talking about bathrooms how did it go with Claire?" She called out too him. "Well actually, she really appreciated your bath idea and so we decided we are going to have a second honeymoon in Hawaii just as soon as I can arrange time off work" He called back. "Glad to hear it" Stella yelled out "Don't forget to bring me a coconut back!" Something peeking out from under the bed caught Stella's eye "Mac I think I've got something here" She yelled out again; "Whaddaya got" He said appearing a t her side. "Looks like the Vics little black book" She answered sliding out a small battered leather notepad from its hidey-hole. Delicately she flipped through the pages stopping at the page that should contain the details of the crucial three day period leading up to her death "Ripped out" Mac said.

New York February 2009……..

"Where are you Don?" Jess Angell's voice stirred Flack from his reverie, it had been her suggestion pizza and a DVD to take his mind of the rose case "You've done all you can for the time being let Mac and the team handle it ….you can even pick the movie" She had said. "I'm sorry the truth is I'm not really good company for anyone tonight my head's got to much going on inside it" He admitted; "No kidding!" Jess teased him "Talk to me Don that's what people doing what ever we are attempting to do ….well do." "I wish I could but I promised a friend I wouldn't say anything to anyone" He told her; "Would that friend be Stella Bonasera by any chance?" Jess asked. "Why Detective Angell I do believe you're jealous" Flack laughed prompting Jess to through the nearest cushion at him "Be serious!" She grinned. "I thought I was being anyway this rose thing is opening a whole lot of old wounds for people I care about ….." "Stella" Jess interrupted "Alright Stella then" He capitulated "Mac too."

"Don tell me something…"Jess asked, "Anything or almost anything." He replied; "Eight years ago during the original rose case you and Stella I heard that you and she were well involved……" Jess fidgeted. "I thought we had established you weren't jealous" "Don!" "I was she wasn't" He shrugged. "Either you were or you weren't fess up" Jess insisted; "I was a stupid kid with a crush on her ok? I was 22 year old fresh out of the Academy and I thought Stella was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen …..Till I met you of course" He said pulling her into his arms. "Truth is though Stella's heart belonged to someone else and it always will…..that's kind of the problem you see I made a promise to her then too." "You've kept it all this time?" Jess stared up at him; "Yes" He nodded "Lately though I'm wondering if I should have I just have this gut feeling Stella is about to make a terrible mistake and the only person who can stop her doesn't know the whole truth" He finished. Tenderly Jess kissed his lips "What was that for?" He asked breathlessly; "For being such a good friend but Mac and Stella are grownups and they need to sort out their problems themselves o.k.?" "O.k." He murmured kissing her again.


	4. Chapter 4

New York April 2001……..

"It's always the one's who get away you remember" Joe Cassidy couldn't recall who particularly had expressed that sentiment to him but they were dead on the money as far as he was concerned. She was joining his own personal hit list today – the dozen or so unsolved cases he kept on his desk and periodically reviewed – known as 'Butch's babies' to his staff. He had hoped this day would not come for this particular case simply because deep in his guts Joe Cassidy knew if Grace Costello's killer was not caught this time he would kill again and that gave him nightmares. Mac Taylor and the Bonasera kid had worked their asses off he knew that; pairing them together had been a masterstroke on his part even if he did say so himself. They had gelled right from the start and were already being called "The dynamic duo" by half the NYPD where one was the other was never far behind. They had found over twenty different semen samples in Costello's Motel room and had managed to match all but three to their respective donors; unfortunately all those individuals identified could fully account for their whereabouts during the vital three day period. Additionally dozens of finger prints had been lifted from the room but like the semen samples before them all those they had managed to match had led to dead ends.

The notebook that Bonasera had found had been examined inch by every frustrating inch even though they had managed to lift an imprint from the page underneath the missing one all it had shown was the three days crossed out and the initials SS; interestingly enough though there were no finger prints on the book's cover or spine not even Costello's own it had been wiped completely clean. So in desperation Taylor and Bonasera had taken both the Motel room and her apartment apart; checked, double checked and re-checked every iota of trace they could find but lady luck had not been kind to them this time. They had been unable to locate the actual murder site or where those damned roses had come from; no left shoe had been found either. No witnesses had come forward to say they had seen Grace Costello in the three days before her death or identify any man who may have gone into her room on those days – result: another dead end. So Cassidy thought all they could do now was wait, if they got lucky the rose would get careless be pulled over for drink driving or get caught up in a bar room brawl if not he shuddered they would be pulling another "Eliza Dey" from the Hudson's murky depths. It was then that the man himself popped his head around the door "Sir I thought you'd like to know we are starting the party in two minutes …..Aiden is going to get Stella to the break room with a cattle prod if necessary or so she says" Mac told him; "I'll be right there" Cassidy sighed placing the Costello file with his other 'babies'.

"Got the cake" Donny Flack said entering the break room holding a large white cake box in his hands "Where's the birthday girl at?" "She'll be arriving any second now" Maria Vasquez told him "The old man right behind you?" She asked seeing Mac appear next to Donnie. "Nipping at his heels as always" Cassidy said entering the room "You've done a good job Maria it looks great in here" He smiled. Mac surveyed the room with a satisfied nod; a large rainbow coloured banner saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY STELLA had been strung along the back wall and balloons were dotted everywhere. The tables had all been pushed together and were covered in a blue and white stripped table cloths; an interesting array of Greek style food had been placed along the table with plates, cutlery and napkins stacked neatly on one side. On the other side of the buffet was another equally neat stack this time of Birthday gifts and cards all addressed to Stella.

It had been by accident that Mac had discovered Stella's date of birth; she'd completed various forms when transferring to the lab and had been in the process of completing yet another a week earlier during a quick coffee break when Mac had found her. "April 25th that's next week. How come you didn't mention it's your birthday next week?" He asked peeking over her shoulder; "I didn't think it was important I never do Birthdays anyway" She shrugged. "What never?" Mac was astounded, "No ….I suppose there were too many kids to look after at the orphanage so they just didn't bother and so I stopped bothering" She explained. So ever since Mac had been plotting he had drafted in Vasquez, Aiden and Donnie to help: this year he decided Stella was having her first ever birthday party. "Heads up" Donnie called out spotting Aiden and Stella heading towards the break room, "Every thing ready?" Mac asked Vasquez, "Almost" She said placing a birthday cake in the shape of a Greek temple next to the other food "Now we're ready" She nodded.

True to her word Aiden had gotten Stella to the break room as requested from his vantage point Mac watched Stella enter blissfully unaware and stop dead; he watched transfixed as her lips formed a small "Oh" shape as she took in her surroundings. "Happy Birthday Stella" they called out in unison "I……thank you" She stammered her normal olive skin taking on a definite pinkish hue. She had been beaming ever since a 100 kilo watt smile that not only graced her lips but sparkled in her eyes too and seemed to be infectious because Mac found himself grinning too. Donnie had seized his chance Mac noted and under the pretext of a birthday party favour had planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Donnie's crush on Stella was growing more obvious he seemed to find some excuse to visit the lab and by extension Stella every day sometimes Mac thought Donnie spent more time at the lab then he did. Watching them kiss Mac felt something stir deep inside him, he couldn't even identify it a pang of longing or jealousy maybe. Angrily he shook his head you're a very happily married man he told himself; you love your wife you just wish she was here that's all and your taking her on a second honeymoon tomorrow…..all the same he didn't feel comfortable till he could get out of that room and away from the kissing couple.

"There you are" Stella's voice was still filled with delight when she caught up with him an hour later; he'd been going over some blood spatter he'd found at a Bodega robbery the day before. "Hey the guest of on honour isn't supposed to ditch her own party" He grinned up at her; "Which I believe I have you to thank for" She smiled "Your welcome every girl should have a birthday party some time" He nodded. "Yeah but you didn't have to go to all that trouble ……" She pointed out; remembering her smile Mac told her "Believe me Stell it wasn't any trouble at all." "I almost forgot….." He pulled a small box wrapped in pink paper tied with a matching pink ribbon from his lab coat pocket and placed it in her hands "Happy Birthday Stella." Carefully Stella undid the ribbon followed by the gift wrap; inside was a slim blue rectangular shaped jewellery box opening it Stella found a white gold bangle with a Greek dancing girl pattern engraved into it. "It's kind of a themed gift to go with the party ….do you like it?" He asked anxiously; "It's beautiful Mac" She said turning it over in her hands "But I can't accept it" She said handing it back "You should give it to Claire."

"She's not half Greek is she? Please take it Stella I meant it for you" He pleaded "Please don't make me beg on your Birthday!" "Now that's something you wouldn't see every day Mac Taylor begging" She teased; "Yes?" He asked hopefully "Yes" She finally relented. "Good" He said slipping the bangle over her left hand onto her wrist; Stella stared at it for a moment then with her right hand she reached out to touch his chin; tilting his face she kissed him softly on the cheek "Thank you for everything Mac" She whispered. She felt his warm breath tickle the sensitive skin on her neck and just for a moment she let him overwhelm her; the smell of his aftershave invaded her senses it felt so nice to be this close to Mac so right. It isn't right though her mind screamed out at her and you know that Bonasera and as if she'd been struck by electricity she sprang back. They stared at each other for a moment and Mac opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance too Joseph Cassidy blustered into the room "We just got a call from Dispatch it's him the rose has killed again."

New York February 2009……..

Mac Taylor prided himself that there were very few things in life that could surprise him; disgust, appal, sicken and down right piss him off yes but he considered himself almost immune to surprise due to a combination of marine training and time served in the NYPD but today was one of those rare occasions; Mac Taylor was jaw dropingly flabbergasted. Five minutes earlier everything had been as it should be "……And I can't find any link between Megan Edwards and the rose's other victims other than her profession" Stella Bonasera finished her summation of the past day's work "What about you?" "Nothing" Mac shook his head "Absolutely nothing, Flack and I went through Megan Edwards' apartment with a fine toothed comb and came up empty handed no missing right shoe and no rose either" He sighed rubbing his temples tiredly. "Unlike Grace Costello it seems her apartment was also her place of work; we found plenty of trace evidence to prove it. Adam will be sorting through her collection of shall we say executive stress relief equipment for stains till next Christmas" He grumbled "Flack's checked out the rose's old stomping grounds and one is now a car park and the other's an old folks home" He finished. "Well we keep trying then" Stella shrugged heading for the door; that's when he'd done it "Stell what's wrong?" Mac had asked quietly and his world had come crashing down around him.

"Why should there be anything wrong?" Stella replied softly her hand resting on the door handle; "I know you Stell and I know when something is wrong please tell me…" He pleaded "There was a time you used to tell me everything remember?" "I remember…" She nodded turning to face him; before Diakos, before Brendan before a million other things had driven a Grand Canyon sized wedge between them they had been best friends. "Nothing is wrong not really….." She explained "Brendan he…I he's moving to Miami so he asked me to marry him and I'm thinking about it. So what do you think?" Miami….married…Stella that was all Mac's brain could grasp; she was leaving him; she was going away for good…….What do I think? No! No No No No you can't go his heart wanted to scream out at her you have to stay with me because I lov……but an image of Claire on their wedding day flashed through his head leaving all that to remain unsaid and he heard his voice say "Congratulations"

She'd done it Stella sighed with relief; she'd made it back to her own office without falling apart; she couldn't remember how exactly but the details weren't really all that important now anyway. She locked the door and pulled the blinds shut; she was safe now away from prying eyes; so with door too her back she slid to the ground and let the hot tears trickle down her face. "Stop it Bonasera" She mumbled to herself God she hated it when she got like this always had ever since she was a kid when crying just wasn't an option. It wasn't even as if she was surprised by Mac's reaction to her announcement just the opposite; he never had felt that way about her had he? Didn't matter if she had those kind of romantic feelings for him then or now did it? He still loved Claire and he always would……she couldn't compete with a ghost no one could. So Mac unknowingly had made the decision for her ….there was nothing here for her in New York so she slipped out her cell phone from her pocket. Brendan loved her the way Mac loved Claire that could be enough for them to be happy couldn't it? Drying her eyes as best she could she dialled his number "Brendan? ….It's me… the answers yes" She told him.

In his own office Mac glumly picked up the photograph he kept on his desk and with a heavy heart stared at the two smiling couples Claire and himself ….the last one they had ever had taken together at the NYPD Summer ball a few weeks before she'd died….and Stella and Flack. He'd tried so hard to erase that night from his memory to suppress the feelings that had come to the fore …… he had too just to keep him sane; he'd come so close to losing Stella back then and there seemed no doubt he was going to lose her now. She had found someone who made her happy; to love and be loved Stella deserved that more than anybody; he knew that but Mac felt like he was slowly dying inside. He'd only hurt like this once before when Claire had been killed and the irony was the only reason he'd even got up in the morning since then was Stella; a life without Stella would be unbearable. He wanted her to be happy though more than he'd ever wanted anything before and he would do anything to achieve that goal; if that meant she married Brendan than so be it even if did break his heart.

A/N: Capital A for angst no? I think I should point out at this point that even though I'm an old romantic at heart I'm not always a particularly nice one besides its so much fun playing with Mac & Stella's heads. Thanks for all the kind feedback and keep it coming it's always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

New York April 2001……..

"Claire honey for the last time will you please pick up the damn phone……" Mac slammed his cell phone shut with an angry scowl, "Still not answering?" Stella grimaced; "Well obviously not……" Mac barked back and then instantly regretted it "I'm sorry Stell none of this is your fault" He sighed. After Cassidy had told them they potentially had another rose victim on their hands it had been panic stations at the lab and unfortunately with immediate effect all leave had been cancelled meaning Mac's planned second honeymoon had gone the way of the Dodo. Stella had taken over driving duties of the SVU whilst Mac had called his extremely (fairly understandably in Stella's humble opinion) pissed off wife to explain "……I'm not being unreasonable….I'll make it up to you I swear…..it's not my fault Claire It's not like I've got the roses' damn schedule is it? Don't slam the pho……" That had been twenty minutes ago and Mac had been unable to reach his wife since. "Where here" Stella told him softly bringing the SVU to a stop underneath the Brooklyn bridge; She could see uniforms milling around the crime scene already and could clearly make out both Donnie and his partner Gavin Moran.

Out of the corner of her eye Stella spotted Ray Buchannon approaching the SUV his distinctive red hair marking him out from the throng of other people in the immediate vicinity. "Here we go again" He groused as Stella and Mac climbed out of the SVU "Psycho 2 NYPD 0." "You sure it's the rose?" Mac wanted to be absolutely certain before word got out a serial killer was on the loose in New York City. "Well I might not be any Coloumbo but the fact she's got 'All beauty must die' hacked into her chest and something that's a dead ringer for a rose stuck between her teeth is kind of a give away even to a mere mortal like me" Buchannon huffed. "We need to be sure…. The last thing we want to do here is start a riot" Mac reasoned; "I'd forgotten you've got your eye on the boss's chair next year when ol' Butch hangs his shooting irons up for good haven't you?" Buchannon snarled; "Wouldn't want a little thing like a serial killer embarrassing your friends in the Mayor's office would you?" "Now just a minute…." Mac's hackles were well and truly raised "Gentlemen….." Stella interrupted "Haven't we got a crime scene to process?" She pointed out; "Right this way" Buchannon scowled and stomped of towards the water.

"What is it with you two?" Stella asked as she and Mac followed the rapidly departing Buchannon the animosity between the two men had been apparent the first time she'd met Detective Buchannon and her curiosity was well and truly piqued now. "It's a long story let's just say mutual dislike and mistrust shall we?" Mac answered; Stella simply nodded and made a mental note to ask Aiden Byrne later the woman seemed to know everything about her colleagues at the lab plus Stella knew Aiden and Mac went way back since before he'd moved from the Jersey lab he'd told her. "……Birthday drink" Buchannon was muttering when they finally caught up with him; "What?" Stella asked "Donnie Flack told me it was you Birthday today …. Would you like to come for a Birthday drink with me after work?" Buchannon sounded almost shy. "I….."Stella floundered searching for a reply; she barely knew Buchannon after all she'd only met him once before when there paths had crossed on the Grace Costello case; he seemed nice enough she supposed. Like Mac he was in his late thirties slim and wiry in build Stella supposed you could say ruggedly handsome but Mac had told her he didn't trust or like the man and something about Buchannon's demeanour made Stella agree wholeheartedly.

Mac knew he had to do something and do something fast he knew Buchannon of old and in particularly how he treated women no way was he allowing his Stella to be left alone with Buchannon just the thought made Mac's skin crawl "No she wouldn't" He answered for her; Mac didn't particularly care if Stella minded or not she could lecture him on male chauvinism in the work place to her hearts content later he decided "This a crime scene Buchannon not a dating service ….in any case it's hardly an appropriate time to ask for a date. We will be working on this thing long after you've hit the hay tonight and I promise you the lady is well out of your league." "I wonder does the Missus know you arrange your assistants social calendar's for them" Buchannon snarled; "What else do you arrange for them I wonder? May be I should ask her?" Mac lunged at Buchannon but again Stella interceded "Rain check" She muttered "I'll take a rain check" "I'll hold you too that" Buchannon was all smiles now

All out war now averted Stella and Mac began their grim task whilst Buchannon sauntered off to interview the young woman out jogging who had found the body; "Well as much as I hate to admit it I agree with Buchannon we have a serial killer on the loose" Mac said once they had finished their examination of both the area and the body. "Me too" Stella nodded; like Grace Costello the body was of a young female no older than her mid twenties by Stella's estimation and like the unfortunate Miss Costello could be considered quite beautiful with milk chocolate curly air and aqua eyes. Like Grace Costello she was dressed for an evening on the town in a low cut figure hugging fire engine red dress and as before her purse and coat where conspicuously absent. "Left shoe is missing again Mac" Stella pointed out "I know" Mac replied thoughtfully "But what worries me more is that the rose is getting bolder…. Grace Costello was dumped way out in the boondocks this young lady is slap bang in the middle of town which tells me the rose doesn't particularly care about the NYPD catching up with him and that is never a good sign."

"What have you got for us Maria?" Mac asked the M.E. as he and Stella entered Autopsy; "I could save myself a whole lot of time, trouble and paperwork by referring you straight to the Costello case file" She replied. "I wish I could say I was surprised" Mac agreed; "Well there is no doubt in my mind this same person is responsible for both deaths" Maria confirmed "The wounds on both Victim's are identical and again COD is blunt force trauma. As with Miss Costello I'd say she had been in the water just a few hours putting time of death around 2.30 AM and now for the good news so to speak I bear gifts" She said producing a perfect scarlet rose bud and a positive rape kit. "We got lucky …..River didn't wash away everything this time I found semen traces so what are you two still standing there for" She ushered them out of Autopsy "You've got work to do haven't you?"

"Did you manage to speak to Claire?" Stella asked Mac quietly as they went about examining their Vic's clothes and of course the rose; the semen trace now safely deposited in DNA. "No" Mac shook his head sadly "She flatly refuses to answer her cell phone or her office line" He shrugged "What can I do if she wont speak with me?" "Grovel" Stella said simply "A lot" "That's it your advice as a woman and my closest friend on how to best deal with my (probably homicidal by now) wife is to grovel?" Despite himself he was grinning. "I did say a lot didn't I?" She grinned back, "She works at the twin towers doesn't she?" "Yes" He confirmed, "Well then duck out the lab for a few minutes find the biggest bunch of flowers you can and fall at her feet she can't very well ignore you if you take up residence in her office now can she?" Stella pointed out. "Nice idea Stell but I can't very well walk out on a murder investigation can I?" He said "Says who?" Stella wanted to know; "Look the DNA and Finger print results won't be back for hours and I can hold the fort here till you get back I am a Csi you know or at least that's what they tell me….So get before I change my mind." "Stella Bonasera you are truly amazing thank you" He kissed her forehead gently; "I like to think so" She smiled back at him "Don't forget…." He started as he grabbed his jacket "Follow the evidence I know" She finished off.

"Aiden are you there?" Stella called out to her friend sticking her head around the door to find Aiden bent over a computer screen trying to match the fingerprints from the rose's latest victim. Having completed her examination of the victim's clothes and of course the rose itself Stella had come to an impasse like Vasquez earlier it was practically a rerun of the Costello case; there were still a few results outstanding but since Mac wasn't back yet she'd decided to ask Aiden about Buchannon and Mac's earlier outburst whilst she waited. "Hello Stell" Aiden grinned looking up from her work "Nothing to report yet I'm afraid our Victim seems to like being a woman of mystery." "Actually I'm after some well I suppose you could call it background on Ray Buchannon" Stella confessed "He and Mac nearly came to blows earlier but Mac wont talk about it I was wondering why." "Stella Bonasera I'm shocked do you think I'm the kind of girl who listens to office gossip?" Aiden feigned surprise "Definitely" Stella replied.

"Two years ago a drug addict named Libby Vaughn accused Buchannon of raping her in a cell down at the precinct; Buchannon had arrested her for prostitution earlier that day and he insisted that she was lying because this would be her third conviction and she would be going down for an extremely long time. Anyway Mac was assigned to the case but the evidence was inconclusive it came down to Buchannon's word against Libby Vaughn's and so the charges were dropped. Mud sticks though and Buchannon is now on a very short leash with absolutely no chance of promotion….." Aiden explained. "He blames Mac for not clearing his name I see" Stella nodded; "Too right and Mac is headed for the top as we all know add to that Mac told me he though Libby Vaughn was telling the truth and you have a powder keg you know how Mac hates to think of anyone getting away with any crime especially a Cop" Aiden finished. "What happened to Libby Vaughn?" Stella asked, "She overdosed in prison just after New Year" Aiden told her "Took her own life apparently."

"Mac feels responsible doesn't he?" Stella guessed "I think so yes" Aiden confirmed; "He shouldn't it's not his fault" Stella shook her head "He feels things so deeply sometimes." "You care about Mac don't you" Aiden queried gently; "I…..he's my best friend and I worry that's all" Stella's cheeks burned red hot for the second time that day. "That's Ok Stella" Aiden assured her "Just don't go falling for him o.k.?…..He's already spoken for." "I know …." Stella nodded feeling a little more composed "Besides I already have a boyfriend well sort of don't I?" "Donny Flack? Yeah he's got it bad for you alright follows you around like a love struck puppy dog" Aiden teased "I didn't think you were interested though." "We're um well working on it Stella fidgeted……………Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep……………………….. Stella had never been so relieved to hear an alarm any alarm go off this conversation was getting a little to close for her comfort. "Well well well" Aiden swivelled round to face her screen " Looks like we have a match for the Vic's finger prints and even more interestingly look what we have here" She said pointing to a bright red flashing Flag symbol.

The office Claire Conrad-Taylor worked in was huge Stella decided, it oozed old money all oak panels and blue deep pile carpeting complete with a top hatted doorman who tilted his head gear and said "Ma'am" when she'd entered the place. Truthfully Stella felt a little overawed she wasn't used to places like this and being here made her feel a little inadequate a hold over from a childhood spent being an afterthought for the world in general "Stop it Bonasera" She muttered to herself "You may not be any better than these people but you are their equal." With the help of a friendly secretary called Charlene she managed to locate Mrs Taylor's office and it was with great relief she saw the familiar figure of Mac Taylor standing in the doorway along with a slim brown curly haired woman the infamous Claire Stella assumed. It look liked Mac had managed to make up with his wife because smiling he pulled the woman in to his arms and planted a slow passionate kiss on her lips watching this most intimate of gestures made Stella feel far more lost than she ever had been wandering about the building.

"Don't go falling for him" Aiden's warning echoed in Stella's mind trouble was Stella thought maybe it was already too late; the kissing couple parted and Stella politely coughed to gain Mac's attention. "Stella what are you doing here?" Mac had finally noticed her standing there "Who's Stella?" Asked Claire confused "Detective Bonasera" Mac explained to his wife. "She's Detective Bonasera? The one you keep raving about Mac?" Claire stared at Stella in surprise "You're not how I imagined you'd be at all" Claire extended out her left hand "Claire Conrad–Taylor." "Stella Bonasera" Stella shook it politely "I hope that's a good thing." "Just unexpected that's all" Claire said thoughtfully and Stella had the unsettling sensation she was being assessed the way a Cat might eye up a mouse. "You never answered my question Stella why are you here?" Mac asked; "Finger prints came back on our second rose victim her name is Tracey Davies but more importantly we may have a put a name to the rose himself one Seth Stockton" Stella told him "We need to get going because Buchannon and his guys are already en route to arrest him….." "Fill me in on the way" Mac nodded "I'll see you later honey" He kissed Claire's cheek as he and Stella left.

"So you rave about me to your wife do you?" Stella teased Mac as she slid into the passenger seat of the SUV; "I was only telling the truth just like my mommy always told me" He smiled "You're the best colleague and the dearest friend I've ever had that's all." Stella's pulse rate shot up several notches at his declaration "Nice comeback Taylor" She flashed him a 10000 kilowatt grin; much…much too late She concluded silently. "So don't keep me in suspense how is this Stockton guy connected to our case" Mac wanted to know as he drove towards the address Stella had given him; "When Aiden's trace brought up Tracey Davies as our second Vic it also flagged up an outstanding warrant for her arrest in Las Vegas for……" "Let me guess Prostitution and drug possession just like Grace Costello" Mac interrupted. "Just like Grace Costello" Stella Confirmed; "It also seems that whilst in Las Vegas she was living with a guy called Seth Stockton who LVPD believed to be her pimp but they had no evidence to prove it and Tracey Davies vehemently denied it said she was freelance. Stockton was never arrested so ergo there are no finger prints or DNA samples on record for him. Now as we know there was a reference to an SS in Grace Costello's appointment book the day she went missing ……" Stella paused for breath. "SS could well stand for Seth Stockton" Mac agreed "He could have been running both girls." "It get's better……" Stella told him "I did some checking and it seems when Davies fled to New York she didn't come alone. One Seth Stockton is registered with the DVLA as living here in NY he and his 'wife' Tracey Stockton moved here six months ago." "It's true what they say old habits really do die hard" Mac nodded; "Don't they just" Stella agreed.

"We're here" Mac said grimly as he pulled over to park the SVU; the apartment belonging to Davies and their now prime suspect Stockton was situated on the six floor of a ramshackle apartment block in the lower East side. "Even the rats have higher standards" Stella joked staring at the building; "You ready" He asked checking over his gun "Always am" Stella replied following suite with her own weapon. They made their way into the building to find Donnie, Moran and a handful of uniforms waiting for them "Where's Buchannon?" Mac wanted to know. "Said he was going to eyeball the apartment get a sit rep before we proceed" Moran answered. That's when they heard it three times the distinctive pop pop pop of a gun going off; Mac shot off up the nearest flight of stairs Donnie and Stella hot on his heels. They had got as far as the fourth floor stair well when they found them; Ray Buchannon holding his weapon aloft was standing over the blood stained corpse of a skinny, greasy looking and extremely unkempt man "Ding Dong the Rose is dead" Buchannon cackled.

New York March 2009………

"……….So without further a do ladies and gentlemen please will you raise your glasses to the bride and groom to be Stella and Brendan" Danny Messer made the toast; Cheers of To Stella and Brendan flooded Sullivan's which to Mac seemed to contain every Cop and Fire fighter in New York City. He didn't really want to be here toasting Stella at her Engagement party watching Brendan present her with a diamond engagement ring and the shy kiss that followed much to the delight of everyone else in the building but made Mac feel nauseous. When he saw Brendan's arm draped casually around her waist he wanted to snap it in half and every time Brendan so much as looked in Stella's direction Mac wanted to throttle him. Finally Mac decided he had had enough he needed to get away from here …..Anywhere away from here so he finished his drink in one gulp and slipped out of the bar hopefully unobserved but he couldn't help taking one last glance at Stella she was chatting to Jess and Lindsay she seemed so happy didn't she? He hoped so if Brendan didn't treat her right then he would answer to him Mac silently promised Stella; so with a heavy heart he slipped out into the cold New York night air.

Why the heck was he doing this he wondered? Oh yeah that's right because Stella had asked him too and even after all this time he was still a sucker for those big green eyes of hers; he never had been able to say no to them. So here he was wandering around the New York Crime Lab at 3am in the morning when he should be safely tucked up in his own bed preferably with his own gorgeous girlfriend. There was a particularly scary thought if Jess found out about this particular nocturnal excursion then she'd either think he was nuts (he really couldn't argue with that diagnosis actually) or worse still he was still holding a candle for Stella either way he'd probably be back on the TV dinners for one if this ever got out thank god she was on night shift this evening.

Stella had seen Mac leave the party just after the toast had been made around 11.30 the previous evening but she hadn't seen him since and hadn't been able to contact him by telephone either. So at two thirty that morning Flack had been aroused from his own slumber by the aforementioned Stella who to put in her own words was worried sick about Mac. "He'll be at the Lab he's always at the Lab" Flack rubbed his eyes tiredly; "I know …..But I'd feel better if someone checked up on him" Stella pleaded. "Then maybe you should go …….do you both good to talk some" Flack murmed trying to prise his eyes open; "I don't think that's a good idea we'd just end up fighting that's all we seem to do these days" She sighed "Please Flack for me?" There they were those darn green eyes almost tearful he couldn't stand it any longer "Ok ok I surrender I'll go" He said holding his hands up in submission. "Thank you Flack ….will you promise me something?" She asked; "Anything you know that" He replied. "Take care of him for me….. Mac I mean when I'm gone I need to know he'll be O.k." She bit her lip. "I will you know that already Stell but are you really sure……." He began to ask, "Yes I'm sure Brendan's the man I want to spend the rest of my life with" She jumped in. "Yeah right" Flack grumbled under his breath as he padded towards his bedroom to dress "That's why you've dragged me out of bed at 2.30 in the Am to chase round after Mac Taylor.

As Flack had predicted Mac was in his office surrounded by several large storage boxes marked 'Stockton' and 'Davies' amongst others when he found him; what did surprise Flack though was that Mac was paying absolutely no attention to them he was sitting with his back to his office door staring out the window into nothing and he looked miserable. "Ok who are you and what have you done with the real Mac Taylor" He muttered to himself as he entered the room. "Ahem" Flack cleared his throat and Mac spun round to face him "What are you doing here?" He asked almost accusingly; "Pizza delivery what else" Flack shrugged; "Not now Flack I'm really not in the mood" Mac rumbled out. "We were worried about that's all" Flack told him and realized his mistake instantly; "We?" Mac raised an eyebrow "…..Jess well me and Jess" Flack said the first name that came to mind Stella had said she and Mac had been fighting and judging by Mac's current mood mentioning her name would be adding fuel to the flames better to tell a little white lie he mused than start an all out war. "Oh I see" was all he said in reply but even so Flack had the distinct feeling that Mac was disappointed somehow.

"Burning a little early morning oil are we?" Flack decided to change the subject temporarily "Something like that yeah" Mac made a point of opening the nearest box to him. "I thought Stella already went over those old files" Flack asked "She did…..but she's had other things on her mind of late other distractions" Mac replied grimly. "Don't let her here you say that she'll skin us both alive" Flack teased; "Not from Miami she wont" Mac countered "Besides we are on a clock here Flack remember? The rose's second victim was found in April I want this latest incarnation safely locked up in Riker's long before then." "Stella's birthday I remember" Flack nodded "You threw her a birthday party her first one….." Memories of Stella's smile that afternoon when she walked into the break room came flooding back into Mac's head then later when she'd kissed his cheek that had been the first time Stella had been so close to him even now he still felt her velvet soft lips on his skin and it sent little sparks of electricity shooting down his spine.

Stop it he told himself it was wrong then and its wrong now and you know it he angrily berated himself you and Stella are close friends that's all and that's all you will ever be. You had Claire and Stella has Brendan that's how it should be you and Stella are just not meant to be that's all ….If he told himself that enough if he focused on Claire and what they had together then Mac knew he could get through this get on with his own life. Stella was happy and so Mac was happy that's all there was to it "Mac…Mac are you alright?" Flack brought him back to reality "Sure …..I'm fine" He insisted. "Did you talk to Stella like I said? About this whole getting married thing I mean" Flack wanted to know; "I already told you we are….." "On a clock I know but did you talk to her?" Flack persisted "Yes I gave her my blessing happy now" Mac scowled. "Since your mentioning it No …..Mac I thought she and you …." Flack groaned guys really weren't meant to talk to other guys about touchy feely stuff like this it wasn't natural they talked sports damn it "Well you had feelings" He rolled his eyes. "Well you thought wrong then didn't you?" Mac turned away from his friend; that was his cue to leave Flack decided "Just talk to her Mac please" Flack called out as he left Mac to his own thoughts. What good would talking do Mac reasoned; Stella was getting married fact! If she didn't want too she would have said no wouldn't she? Alright he admitted it when Flack had said "We were worried instead of I" He had hoped Flack meant Stella if she had been worried about him if Stella had sent Flack then maybe that would have changed everything but She was probably off dancing the night away with Brendan somewhere and he was just going to have to live with the situation didn't he? Didn't matter how he felt about Stella because she obviously didn't feel that way about him.

**A/N Sorry for the delay between chapters unforeseen circumstances alas! Feed back as always gladly received**.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Firstly I would like to apologize for the mammoth delay between instalments of this story and I would like to thank you all for your patience it is greatly appreciated believe me. So on to the story since there has been such a long delay I decided to publish a bumper chapter this time so enjoy and without further a do****…………….**

**New York May 2001**

"Wild rose killer shot dead by heroic cop…….." it seemed to scream from every headline in the city; every news bulletin on T.V. was carrying the 'inside' story on how one of NYPD's finest Detective Raymond Francis Buchannon had brought the Rose's reign of terror to a timely end there was even whisperings of a medal in high places for said Detective. The whole world seemed convinced that Seth Stockton had been the rose everyone except Mac Taylor

"This is all wrong Stella" He said shaking his head worriedly as they signed off on the Costello and Davies cases.

"I know" She agreed "This is much too easy and we both know the rose is much too smart ….."

"I'm glad someone agrees with me" Mac smiled at her "Even Claire thinks I'm going mad she's already re-arranged out trip to Hawaii for next week."

"What do we do Mac? About the rose I mean now Butch has officially closed the case" Stella asked fearfully.

"What we always do Stel we follow the evidence" He told her rubbing his eyes tiredly "He will make a mistake I just hope its before he kills again."

"Maybe if I talked to Buchannon people are listening to him and he seemed to like me" Stella suggested.

"No!" Mac Yelped "Absolutely not….there are things you don't understand about Ray Buchannon Stella I won't your word that you wont approach him the man is not to be trusted."

"Aiden told me about your History" She admitted "Alright Mac I wont I promise."

"Got that paperwork for me people?" Joe Cassidy asked appearing besides Mac and Stella "The powers that be want this put to bed ASAP if not sooner."

"Sir I…." Mac began.

"Problem Mac?" Cassidy raised an eyebrow.

"It's just that this whole idea of Stockton being the rose really doesn't feel right…." Mac tried to explain.

"Feel right? You've never been one to depend on hunches Mac" Cassidy pointed out.

"Sir I feel the same way" Stella jumped in...

"I admire your loyalty to your partner Stella I really do but it doesn't mean Mac's right" Cassidy argued.

"Sir with all due respect it doesn't mean we are wrong either" Stella countered.

"Stella I don't think……" Cassidy began.

"Give us another twenty four hours Sir that's all I ask" Mac interrupted pleading their case.

"Let's review the evidence shall we?" Cassidy suggested "Then you two can tell me what you think I should do….deal?"

"Yes Sir" Stella and Mac replied simultaneously; "You two really are a double act aren't you?" Cassidy grinned.

"Lets start with the semen samples shall we" Cassidy started "The sample found on Davies and one of the unidentified samples from the Costello case is a match to Seth Stockton yes?"

"Yes but that still leaves two samples unaccounted for" Mac pointed out.

"Given Grace Costello's profession that's hardly surprising and we can place Stockton with both women shortly before they died" Cassidy replied.

"We haven't found the missing left shoes Sir" Stella pointed out.

"Stockton probably tossed them away somewhere when he realized we were onto him…..we did find Tracey Davies Coat and purse in the apartment didn't we and that damned red rose bud our killer's calling card I seem to recall" Cassidy listed vital evidence to his Detectives.

"She did live there Sir and we know that in Grace Costello's case her coat and purse were left behind by the Rose" Mac argued.

"What about the trace recovered from underneath Stockton's nails and his clothes" Cassidy folded his arms.

"Soil and rose pollen ……." Mac conceded.

"Not just any soil and rose pollen untainted samples" Cassidy added "Ergo wild roses;

Then there is the knife you found hidden in the apartment block Mac it had both Vic's blood on it and was a match to the words carved onto their chests according to Maria Vasquez at any rate" Cassidy concluded.

. "It had been wiped clean Sir no finger prints or DNA belonging to Stockton on it and it was wedged behind the fire extinguisher outside the apartment anyone could have left it there " Mc retorted.

"Some coincidence don't you think?" Cassidy rolled his eyes.

"You know I don't believe in coincidence Sir" Mac sighed.

"You've just made my point for me Mac haven't you?" Cassidy smiled thinly "Let it go …..There are rumours that the only reason you won't accept Stockton is the Rose because you have a Vendetta against Ray Buchannon and that you are out to ruin his last chance at promotion…."

"That's not true Sir ….Mac would never do a thing like that" Stella angrily leapt to Mac's defence.

"I know that Stella but Buchannon is the new poster boy for the NYPD his star is rising fast, people in high places are listening to him you both need to watch your backs" Cassidy warned them.

"It's Ok Stella… I'm a big boy I can handle it" Mac squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

"Doesn't make it right though" Stella insisted.

"We done here?" Cassidy asked.

"Yes Sir" They nodded in perfect synchronicity again.

"Good" He grinned at them both "You two should be on TV…..Mac go enjoy your Vacation and you too Stella you both have earned a rest."

"Thanks for what you said to Butch earlier" Mac told Stella as he drove her home for the evening "It means a lot to me …."

"I only told the truth Mac I know you would never use your work to discredit Buchannon simply out of spite. What we do matters far too much to you ….." She grinned "Sometimes a little too much."

"Y'know you sound just like Claire I think you are getting to know me far to well Detective Bonasera" He grinned back.

"Why Detective Taylor I'll take that as a compliment shall I?" She giggled.

"Good you were meant to" Mac assured her as he parked his car outside her place.

"Well I have to keep you sweet don't I? Who else is going to give me a ride home whenever I need one?" She teased.

"You mean to tell me all this time I thought we were friends and it was my chauffer skills you really wanted" He shot back.

"What can I say it works for me" She smirked "Don't know what I'll do whilst you're away though… may have to resort to desperate measures and take the bus."

"I'm sure you'll survive after all there is always Donny….." Mac suggested curious to see her reaction for no particular reason he could put his finger on.

"Donny? Yes I suppose so…." Stella nodded.

"You suppose?" Mac was simultaneously surprised and elated by her indifference "I thought …..I'm sorry Stel it's really none of my business."

"We are good friends that's all me and Donny" She explained.

"Oh" Mac replied did Donny know that he wondered; something inside Mac though felt glad that there was nothing of a romantic nature between the two of them ….. He knew he shouldn't feel pleased but all the same he was.

"How are things with Claire now anyway…….." Stella wanted to move away from this subject as soon as possible whilst Donny was definitely just a friend she couldn't even begin to understand herself what was going on in her head not to mention her heart when it came to the man sitting next to her and until she did manage to work it out for herself she wanted to avoid discussing any tricky subjects like her current boyfriend status or lack there of with Mac.

"Better…" Mac told her "When we get back from Vacation we are going to start the IVF again."

"I hope it works out for you both this time Mac I do" She smiled and crossed her fingers "See fingers crossed for you both and I'm always available for babysitting."

"Auntie Stella does have such a nice ring to it" He smiled back "I'm sure she'll adore you."

"She?" Stella asked.

"Little Stella of course" He shrugged reddening "I mean who else would I name my little girl after?"

"I….No-ones ever…….that's the nicest………" Stella struggled to get her words out properly "Thank you" She beamed and then very gently she cupped his cheek and leant over to kiss him. For a moment Mac wondered what would happen if he moved an inch so instead of kissing him squarely on his cheek she would touch his lips, what would she taste like he longed to know. Stop it a voice bellowed out into his brain just stop it right now….. Claire would be heartbroken if she knew what you were thinking and Stella would probably shoot you on the spot. So quickly before Stella could react he jolted out of her touch and planted a soft kiss on her curls "You welcome" He said quietly.

**New York April 2009**

"5, 4, 3…………." Mac Taylor counted down the seconds till Stella arrived in his office under his breath; He'd seen her getting out of the elevator through the glass panelled walls and he'd seen that look on her face. The look that said Stella was hopping mad, out to wring somebody's (probably Mac's) neck so better take cover or else."1" He finished as his office door slammed open rattling every freestanding object in a three mile radius.

"Just what the hell is going on Mac?" Stella Bonasera let loose with both barrels "Why are you second guessing me?"

"Firstly shut the door or do you want the entire Lab to hear" Mac folded his arms firmly.

"Fine" She glowered and slammed it shut harder than her entrance briefly Mac wondered how on earth the glass had remained intact.

"I'm not trying to second guess you Stella……." He tried to explain.

"Oh well going over my work on the Rose case both historical and current seems like a damn good impression to me" She seethed.

"I needed to be sure Stell….." Mac tried again.

"Sure? Oh terrific so you no-longer trust me is that it?" Stella felt her heart break in two, bad enough Mac would never feel about her the way she felt about him but they had made a pact hadn't they? Best friends always but it seemed she no-longer even had that and she felt like she was dying inside.

"Stella I didn't mean it like that……."Mac realized his mistake too late, "I thought that with the wedding and the move …….." He floundered unable to voice his emotions.

"It's alright Mac" She said much calmer now "Doesn't matter anymore Brandon got his paperwork through we get married two weeks on Saturday then we move to Miami once we get back from honeymoon so you see you want have to worry about an untrustworthy colleague like me anymore I'll be Horatio Cane's problem" She then turned tail and bolted out of his office before he could speak.

Two weeks! Two weeks that's all the time he had left with Stella? Mac's mind seemed to implode on itself no……..no he wanted to scream out loud no you…..I……. we belong together always. Mac slumped into his chair all the fight sapped out of him, his heart and soul had been ripped out of him and turned inside out; two weeks was all he had left he had known this moment would come but he'd hoped and prayed for a miracle to occur maybe he'd wake up in his bed safe and sound all this nothing more than a bad dream or maybe Stella would decide she hated palm trees anything as long as she stayed here in New York with him. Two weeks till he lost her for good then again she really wasn't his too lose was she? "I'd trust you with my life Stell" He whispered out loud to the space she'd been standing in.

"What's wrong Stella?" Brandon asked for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that evening.

"Nothing…..no really nothing" It took every iota of Strength Stella possessed not to bite his head off. All she really wanted to do after leaving Mac's office was to go home take a hot bath and curl up on her sofa ……alone…….. But Brandon seemed incapable of taking the hint. He had been waiting for her when she had arrived home from work intent on discussing Tuxedo rentals and Limo hire, wedding cakes and flower arrangements the list was endless.

"Stella please" He asked again "You can tell me anything you know that don't you?"

"I know" Stella nodded.

"Well then?" Brandon shrugged.

"I told Mac today about the wedding and us leaving in two weeks……."She told him "That's all."

"You've been working with Mac a long time haven't you" He asked softly.

"Sometimes seems like forever" Stella nodded "I can't imagine my life without him in it."

"Ah well that explains it then" Brandon deduced "A good old fashioned case of pre-wedding nerves coupled with anxiety at starting a new life away from your friends perfectly understandable under the circumstances."

"Yes that's it" Stella agreed she had to let go of Mac make her heart and mind forget all about him, Mac didn't want her in his life even as his friend he had made that crystal clear so she had no choice did she? None at all…….

**August 2001**

Whilst he waited for Stella to arrive at work for the day Mac Taylor puzzled over their latest case together, a spate of burglaries in high class jewellery stores always diamonds and the thief always struck during the night managing to bypass the security alarms however sophisticated; he and Stella had been trying to track the culprit down for almost a fortnight now but were still hitting a blank wall. He was hunched over the desk they shared reviewing their case files having completed his first (and most important at least Stella insisted it was) task of any working day making sure the danish it had become their custom to share over morning coffee was all ready and waiting for her when she arrived (ok he admitted it Stella's smile when she munched down on the sweet treat was the highlight of his day and he looked forward to it each and every morning) when he heard someone politely clearing his throat from behind him.

"Good morning Donny" Mac greeted the younger man warmly turning around to face him "What do you need."

"I…..um is Stel…..I mean is Detective Bonasera around Mac?" Flack asked playing with the peaked cap he held in his hands nervously.

"She's not arrived yet Donny can I do anything to help?" Mac enquired.

"No…yes well maybe" The younger man flustered "It's the annual NYPD summer ball this Saturday and I want to ask her to go with me …..Do you think she will Mac? I know you two are close even for partners and that she talks to you about stuff…..Does she ever mention me or us at all?"

"Us?" Mac was dumbstruck; frantically he tried to figure out why it felt like his heart was doing somersaults hearing that Stella was seeing someone …..Anyone "I wasn't aware you and she were dating" He finally managed to make himself say.

"We're not…not officially I mean we went to the movies together a few times and a ball game just as friends but I think maybe we could be more than just friends……." Flack told him "I want there to be more …..I think I'm falling in love with her" He admitted sheepishly

"It's so damn easy to do" Mac muttered under his breath.

"What?" Donny asked.

"What does Stella want to happen?" Mac changed the subject quickly despite not being entirely sure he wanted to know the answer he hadn't a clue what to say either way he just felt like he'd had every bit of stuffing knocked out of him with Donny's unexpected 'confession' of the heart.

"What does Stella want to happen when?" The lady herself asked walking over to the two men carrying a steaming mug of coffee in hands "Morning guys" She grinned.

"Donny he has a very special question to ask you" Mac said softly turning back to face his desk.

"You do? Spit it out then Donny" Stella cheerfully picked up her half of their danish.

"Will you…I mean I would really like it if you would but you don't have too if you don't want too I understand……" Flack struggled, tugging at his uniform collar which suddenly felt far too tight.

"Donny your not making any sense you're not asking me to marry you are you?" Stella teased "I'm flattered but……"

"No of course not" Flack chuckled at her joke; feeling much more relaxed he asked her straight out "Stella Bonasera please would you make me feel like the luckiest not to mention the happiest guy on the planet and be my date this Saturday for the NYPD summer ball?"

Behind them Mac silently prayed with every fibre of his being that her answer would be a resounding no.

"Donny I don't…… I hadn't really thought about it …..I'm not sure I'm even going" Stella replied truthfully a little shell shocked at his proposal; deep down she'd had this fantasy that somehow Mac would be her date, kind of like an adult version of Cinderella he would sweep her off her feet all Prince Charming like but for that to happen Claire would have to disappear and that wasn't going to happen was it? Mac loved his wife and Stella cared far, far too much about him to do anything to cause Mac pain however inadvertently. She would rather be his best friend than not have him in her life at all, no matter how much it hurt her when he talked about his feelings for Claire it wasn't worth risking their friendship for a dream that whatever she did Stella knew could never come true they were best friends nothing more.

"Aw Stel you gotta go" Insisted Donny" You know it's 'The' event of the NYPD social calendar you'll be the only cop in town who doesn't go……. Anyhow you don't want to miss out on seeing 'Butch' in a tux is unforgettable….. Mac and Claire will be there won't you?"

"Oh yes I suppose so" Mac answered caught completely off guard again by Donny; he hadn't really planned to go he and Claire were trying the IVF treatment again and Claire wanted to take it easy. He'd actually hoped somewhat selfishly he knew, that he could convince Stella to work the late shift with him so they could spend some time alone together; he longed to have her all to himself just for a little while maybe have one of their heart to heart chats …….ever since the Costello case 'Butch' seemed to be doing everything he could to separate them Mac suspected Ray Buchannon was somehow pulling the Captain's chains or maybe he really was paranoid Claire certainly seemed to think so. Either way the jewellery store robberies had been his and Stella's first joint case in six weeks and he missed just simply being around her….he felt lost without Stella by his side.

"I suppose if everybody else is going….Ok then it's a date" Stella said half heartedly.

"I'll pick you up 7.30ish Ok Stella?" Donny asked excitedly.

"Sure Donny 7.30 is fine" She nodded.

"I'll see you Saturday then…." Flack grinned and turned to leave but then he turned back "Almost forgot…..sorry" he whispered before he placed a warm kiss on an unsuspecting Stella's lips then whistling happily he turned and left.

In the pit of Mac's stomach fury fuelled by sheer jealousy erupted at Donny's actions "You shouldn't encourage the kid like that it's not fair" He snapped angrily at Stella.

"Firstly Donny is not a kid there is only three years between us" She argued "Secondly I'm not leading anyone on he is my friend and I do care about him……"

"Not that way you don't….." A seething Mac interrupted "The way he wants you too……..It's not fair to him or you Stella. You know he has a crush on you Stel you must do!"

"Even if he does what business of yours is it who I'm involved with? Or for that matter who Donny sees? Neither of us answers to you and we certainly don't need to ask your permission to begin a relationship" Stella yelled at him.

"Relationship? Now it's a relationship! If my partner is sleeping with a junior colleague then of course it's my business" Mac raged, "Have you any idea the position you're putting us both in? How we could both be accused of corruption if it ever got out……well have you? All for someone you're not even seriously interested in."

"Mac you are way out of line …….how can you possibly know how I feel about anything let alone Donny" She hollered at him.

"Ok answer me this Do you love him? Look at me Stel and tell me truthfully that you love him and I'll never say another word on the subject" Mac snapped "Well Stella?"

"I……" She began.

Say no please Stel say no……Mac found himself silently prayed to every god he could think of once more; He couldn't remember ever wanting anything so badly as much as he wanted Stella to tell him that she didn't have romantic feelings towards Donny ….. Not even the day he'd gotten down on one knee and proposed to Claire.

"It's none of your business Detective Taylor" She glowered and stormed off into the women's rest room.

"Are you two quite finished" Joe Cassidy loomed over Mac arms folded firmly across his chest "Only I was under the odd impression I was running a Crime Lab here not a counselling service for the lovelorn of the NYPD."

"You heard?" Mac swallowed hard.

"Son I think the entire State of New York heard" Cassidy told him "I'm only going to ask you this once and I want the truth Detective Taylor….is there anything I should know about your relationship with Detective Bonasera? Before you give me your 'I'm a happily married man' spiel I would like to mention the name Quinn Mallory and point out that you would not be the first married man to have shall we say developed inappropriate feelings towards a much younger, extremely pretty woman and Stella really is quite lovely in more ways than one. It also wouldn't be the first time that two people who work together as closely as you and Stella do have formed an intense bond now would it? Nor would it be the first time someone had acted upon those feelings however misguided either. I should also point out that everybody in this Lab knows just how much strain your marriage has been under for the past two years. I wont judge you son what you do in your own time is your own business but if I find out that the integrity of my Lab has been compromised in anyway at all I will have your badge understood?"

"Yes sir loud and clear…….Captain I swear on Claire's life there is nothing inappropriate going on between Detective Bonasera and me" Mac shook his "She is my partner and yes we have formed a close working relationship but we are just friends nothing more."

"Alright Mac I'll believe you but I would watch my step not everyone will be as trusting or should that be naïve as me. I think that maybe it's time Stella flew solo I want to put some space between you both I think you both need a little elbow room…..in your opinion Detective Taylor is she ready to be lead Detective in her own right?" Cassidy asked curiously.

"Yes Sir I think she is" Mac agreed wholeheartedly "In fact I would say Detective Bonasera is fantastic at her job."

"Good we have a newbie starting in a few week time a Detective Danny Messer I'm going to assign him to you as his mentor since we both agree Stella doesn't need your undivided attention any longer….that alright with you Mac?" Cassidy enquired cautiously.

"Yes Sir" Mac replied resolutely.

"Good …good you'll see son it's the best thing for all of us" With that Cassidy strolled off.

Watching his boss leave Mac sighed wearily; he loved his wife with all his heart and he'd told Cassidy the truth regarding his relationship with Stella, so why oh why did he feel as if he'd just lied through his teeth to the man?

"Damn….freakin' stupid thing" Mac Taylor swore at his reflection in the Locker room's only full length mirror; for the last twenty minutes he had been stuck in here attempting to tie his bow tie properly around his neck. Alas each attempt turned out to be more futile than the last, normally he would have gotten Claire to do this but due to unforeseen circumstances I.E. the arrest and subsequent interrogation of one jewel thief he ended up showering and changing into his tux for the NYPD Ball at the Lab (fortunately Claire had insisted he take it with him this morning preventative policing she had called it since it would prevent her attempting to throttle him because they arrived late at the Ball) but the downside to Claire's master plan was that he still couldn't get his damn bow tie to cooperate.

"Hey….." A soft female voice called to him "Do you want some help with that?"

"Stel…..yes please I…." Mac turned to face her "Wow" He felt sure his jaw had bounced off the floor at least three times and he was positive he must be drooling "You look absolutely stunning…." Like Mac she had brought her evening wear to work with her just in case of emergency and had now changed out of her work clothes into a figure hugging, spaghetti strapped dress that matched the exact shade of green her eyes were. The dress clung to her flawless body showing off her exquisite curves to perfection. Her usually unruly mop of curls had been tamed into a loose French twist exposing her long slender neck Mac thought she looked absolutely breath taking "A regular Athena." He concluded.

"You don't scrub up so bad yourself Mr Bond" She reddened "What is it with men and these things anyway" She chuckled taking hold of both ends of his tie, why was it Stella wondered that the world always seemed a much happier place when she was near Mac.

"It's a genetic thing….." Mac quipped "Women get childbirth and bow ties us guys get sports."

"Mac about the other day I'm so….." She began.

"Don't even think about apologising to me Stella I was responsible for our first ever fight not you. I had no right what so ever to talk to you like that I'm the one who is sorry and down right ashamed" He told her "If I promise to grovel a lot will you forgive me?"

"Depends now doesn't it…." She smiled finishing off his tie her hand coming to rest tenderly on his chest "What's in it for me?"

"How about my eternal gratitude and devotion" Mac suggested, affectionately caressing her hand with his own savouring the sensation of having her soft, smooth skin next to his…..it just felt so right to him.

"Ok you're forgiven…..Mac Taylor as my own personal slave for all eternity to do anything I want with what woman could resist an offer like that" She teased.

"Actually Detective Bonasera I think you'll find he's already mine for all eternity" Claire Taylor appeared in the locker room's doorway causing Mac and Stella to separate instantly.

"Claire honey you look nice" Mac greeted his wife cheerily "Stella was just….."

"Yes I think I know what Stella was just doing…." Claire stared at Stella her eyes narrowing causing Stella to shuffle her feet nervously; "There is a rather stressed out young man with a large bunch of red roses waiting for you in the break room Detective Bonasera I assume he is your date for the evening" Claire told her.

"Oh my gosh Donny! I forgot all about him" Stella groaned, "I'll see you later Mac, Mrs Taylor" Then she dashed out of the locker room.

Claire Taylor transferred her gaze to her husband "What? Mac asked her innocently, "Nothing….absolutely nothing at all" She replied crisply.

The NYPD ball this year was being held in the main flower gardens of Central Park; a huge pristine white marquee had been erected along with a stage and dance floor; in one corner a white tuxedoed band played soft music and on the opposite side a buffet/bar could be found. The ball was already in full swing when Mac and Claire arrived by some quirk of fate Mac found himself sitting between his wife and Stella. Next to Stella sat Donny then Joe Cassidy and his wife Ellen, then Vasquez and her partner Kristen, finally Aiden and her date the new guy Joe Cassidy had mentioned would be joining the Lab Danny Messer completed the circle they had been at the academy together apparently. Aiden insisted on taking photographs of the team group shots, singles, couples and then one of Mac, Claire, Stella and Donny together "One for your desk when you get bumped up stairs next year" She joked.

Cassidy invited Claire to dance then Donny followed suite be asking Ellen Cassidy to "Fill his dance card" the two couples made there way to the dance floor whilst chatting as they went Vasquez, Kristen, Danny and Aiden all headed for the buffet table leaving Mac and Stella alone. "Stella would you like to……… I mean do you dance?" Mac asked shyly.

"Why Mr Taylor there really is only one way to find out now isn't there" She beamed.

Grinning Mac stood and held his hands out to Stella "Miss Bonasera please may I have this dance" He asked.

"Mr Taylor I'd be honoured" She replied taking hold of his hands.

Gently Mac led her to the dance floor as they arrived the band changed songs switching to something much slower and instinctively Mac pulled her into a slow waltz Stella's head resting on his shoulder. Claire, Cassidy, Donny and Ellen returned to the table but all eyes were focused on the happy dancing couple "Y'know if I didn't know better I'd say they were sweethearts" Ellen whispered to her husband.

From their seats Donny and Claire shared a knowing look both coming to the same conclusion as Ellen Cassidy "Me too" Donny muttered worriedly under his breath; Claire Taylor warily nodded her agreement.

On the dance floor Mac and Stella happily tripped the light fantastic to Fats Domino's 'I want to walk you home' "I love this song" they both chorused in unison and simultaneously burst into a fit of giggles.

"Ok then it's officially our song" Declared Mac.

"Now and always" Stella agreed happily.

"I glad we are friends again Stel …..I missed you" Mac admitted.

"Same here……lets never do that again" She suggested.

"Oh I don't know about that did anyone ever tell you you're so cute when you're angry" He joked.

"Keep it up pal and you'll see just how cute I can be" She joked back.

The song finally ended so Mac and Stella politely applauded the band; Mac offered her his arm which Stella gratefully took then they made their way back to their table. "My husband a closet Fred Astaire who knew" Claire remarked as they sat down "I don't know what's gotten into you this evening Mac, normally you would rather have your finger nails pulled then get on a dance floor."

"That's not true Claire…..We gone dancing together" Mac insisted.

"Oh yes that's true at our wedding" She announced to the group, causing a ripple of laughter to circulate the table.

"Well dance with me now then" He shrugged.

"Since you ask so nicely" Claire stood and hauled Mac off to the dance floor.

"Stel what about us?" Donny enquired "Stella?"

"What ….." She asked absent mindedly her gaze had been firmly locked on Mac twirling Claire around the dance floor to 'Jail House Rock' "Oh no Donny I think I'll go and get a little fresh air" Stella replied.

Once she had left the Marquee Stella strolled through the flower gardens till she found a small white bench in a rose covered gazebo; with a heavy heart she sat down She was head over heels in love with Mac Taylor when she'd seen him dancing with Claire the truth had finally hit her like a sledgehammer. Truthfully from the moment she had met him it had been Mac; so how much she denied it to herself and everyone else since. Then there was Donny she had meant what she had said she cared a great deal about him but deep inside it was Mac she wanted to hold her at night and somewhere else equally deep inside she knew it always would be whatever she did she would end up hurting Donny….What a mess she'd fallen for the one man she never could be with heart, mind and soul.

"Can I join you Detective Bonasera" Claire Taylor interrupted her train of thought.

"Mrs Taylor…..I…..yes" Stella nodded and Claire settled next to her "Where's Mac?"

"Arguing with Donny Flack, Danny Messer and Joe Cassidy who is better this season the Cubs or the Yankees" Claire informed her "So I thought we should have a long over due chat."

"What about?" Stella wondered.

"This is not the first time this has happened did you know that?" Claire asked.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked baffled.

"I mean Quinn Mallory the reason Mac moved jobs to the New York Crime Lab in the first place" Claire stated flatly "Did you really think you were the first girl to have made a play for him?"

"Mrs Taylor I don't know what you think is going on between us….." Stella started to say.

"Please don't insult my intelligence Detective Bonasera….I know you are in love with Mac or at least you think your are but he is my husband and that is not going to change ever. Donny Flack is a good boy and he adores you don't throw that away because Mac will never leave me we have been through to much together and you and I both know who it is he will always come home to at night. For your own sake Detective Bonasera move on" Standing up Claire turned to leave "It's such a pity when Mac introduced us I had hoped you and I could have been friends maybe in another lifetime…." Then she headed back to the Marquee.

For the first time in far too many years Stella held her head in hands and sobbed the tears trickling down her cheeks ….everything Claire Taylor had said was true and it broke her heart.

"Hey….Stella isn't it? What's the matter?" Stella looked up to find Ray Buchannon hovering around her.

"Ray Buchannon we met during the Costello case remember" He re-introduced himself and flopped down besides her before she had chance to speak "I think you could use this" He offered Stella a clean handkerchief.

"Thank you Detective Buchannon I do remember you" She nodded gratefully taking hold of the handkerchief

"In that case I should be extremely angry with you" He waggled a finger at her.

"You should why?" She asked wiping away her tears.

"You promised to go with me for a drink remember?" He smiled an oddly crooked smile "But it never happened."

"Oh I'm sorry" She apologized passing the handkerchief back to him.

"Keep it" He waived the handkerchief away "No offence taken anyway about the drink I mean."

"In that case lets try this again shall we" Stella stuck her hand out, if she did this right then maybe she could convince Buchannon to help Mac get the Rose case re-opened "Detective Stella Bonasera pleased to meet you."

"Detective Raymond Francis Buchannon likewise I'm sure" He said, shaking her hand.

Returning to the Marquee Claire scanned the crowded area and spotted Mac over by the bar with Donny sharing some joke walking over to join them she touched her husband's shoulder lightly "Come outside with me Mac" She whispered seductively into his ear.

"…..And this is where I go find Stella" Donny grinned and headed off into the crowd.

Obediently Mac followed his wife outside till they found themselves alone cupping his face with both her hands Claire planted a passionate kiss on his lips "Take me home Mac I need you tonight" She pleaded.

"Your wish is my command Mrs Taylor" He grinned "I just need to find Stella to say goodnight then we can leave….."

"Stella…..you are obsessed with her Mac" Claire howled disappointedly.

"Don't be ridiculous Claire she's my partner that's all…." Mac was astounded by his wife's outburst.

"I've known something wasn't right between us for a long time but I thought I was imagining it put it down to stress due to the IVF ….At first I couldn't understand why you wanted to come to the ball tonight you knew I didn't want to but you insisted even though normally you hate these things, you just couldn't bear the idea of her seeing another man could you………. I'm your wife Mac don't I matter at all to you?? Claire demanded to know.

"Of course you do Claire you're my world you know that" He hollered.

"Oh after Stella freaking Bonasera maybe" Claire hollered back "She's all you care about these days Mac …How long has she been dropping her panties for you anyway? Don't lie to me you've talked about nothing else but Stella Bonasera for weeks…….."

"Don't even go there Claire….. Stella's a good friend and a valued colleague that's all and I'm not the one who was unfaithful in this marriage am I?" He bellowed.

"Oh so that's what this is revenge…. it was one night Mac one mistake and I'm through apologizing for it" Claire raged "Go on then go after your precious Stella you'll find her in the flower gardens with Ray Buchannon yet another 'good friend and valued colleague' I presume just don't bother coming home tonight or ever" Claire stormed off into the night.

Stella left alone with Buchannon the whole idea terrified Mac "Oh god no" He groaned to himself out loud, his blood running cold before he shot off into the flower gardens calling out Stella's name out as he went.

"So are you going to tell your Uncle Ray all about it?" Buchannon asked Stella softly.

"There is nothing to tell" Stella insisted.

"Let me guess Taylor the moron he's why you're crying….beats me why you would waste your time or your tears on him…..you could have any guy you wanted" Buchannon shrugged.

"Now I know you're not being serious" Stella snorted.

"I am deadly serious……you are so beautiful Stella" He muttered stroking her cheek with his hands.

"What are you doing …" Stella tried to pull away but Buchannon grabbed both her wrists tight.

"So beautiful……" He repeated, then he tried to kiss her but Stella bit hard down on his lips drawing blood.

"Get away from me" She hissed.

"I know you want this Stella, I made it my business to know all about you, know that you want me…" Buchannon tightened his grip then he dragged her off the bench onto the ground below "We'll show Taylor how a real man treats his woman wont we" He rasped pinning her down.

"Get off of me" Stella screamed at the top of her lungs trying to kick or bite him anything to ensure her release.

"That's it fight me girl…..I like my woman to have fire in her belly" Buchannon smirked "Makes taking her all the sweeter" releasing her left hand for a moment he tore at her dress ripping the skirt almost in two then he started tugging at her underwear. Stella tried desperately to fight him off gouging at his eyes whilst she had the chance but Buchannon grabbed her wrist again "Please somebody help me" She screamed as loud as she could.

Mac had never ran so fast his entire life when he heard those screams not even in his marine days when he found them Stella was busy trying to fight Buchannon off any way she could he in turn was trying to undo his pants without releasing her hands; Mac saw red, rage and hatred for Buchannon filling his soul. He grabbed hold of Buchannon by his jacket yanking him of Stella then he laid into him kicking and punching Buchannon as hard as he could till the man's face was a bloody pulp "You ever touch her again I'll kill you" Mac seethed.

"I was right ….. The little bitch is sucking your lollipop for you isn't she" Buchannon sneered and Mac lunged at him again but Stella caught his arm stopping him dead.

"Please don't Mac he's not worth getting a life sentence for….." She pleaded "He'll be seeing the inside of Rikers soon enough and I don't want to lose you."

Calmer now Mac nodded "For you" He whispered hoarsely.

"You will regret this Taylor you can't have them both I'll make sure of that" Buchannon threatened then he disappeared into the dark.

"Oh god Stel are you all right?" Mac asked "Stupid question of course your not" He berated himself "I'm an idiot."

"I'm sssorry Mac" She sobbed her whole body shaking "You tried to warn me."

Slipping off his jacket he slipped it around her shoulders then he pulled her into his arms as she fell apart "Its alright Stella he's gone and I will never let him or anyone else hurt you ever again" He promised cradling her close.

"I'm so glad you're here" She whispered through her tears "I was so afraid thank you Mac" She moved to kiss his cheek but this time he didn't hesitate and he deliberately moved so their lips almost touched; kissing Quinn had been a colossal mistake from the moment she had initiated it alarm bells had screamed in his head …..No a thousand times no but not with Stella ….with Stella there was no alarm bells screeching only joy complete and utter joy he wanted to touch her lips with his own so badly, he lent closer to her……

"Mac what the hell is going on…?" Claire Taylor bellowed breaking the spell.

As earlier he and Stella sprang apart to find an audience of Claire, Cassidy, Ellen, Donny, Aiden and Danny all watching them.

"We heard Stella screaming" Cassidy explained their presence.

"Buchannon…………… he tried to force himself on Stella" Mac began to explain.

"Is that so?" Claire huffed disbelievingly "What are you doing then Mac? Kissing it better?"

"Claire so help me……" Mac had never felt so angry towards his wife before "Look for yourself if you don't believe me" He moved the jacked from Stella's body just enough to reveal her torn clothes and bruised thighs.

"Oh God I'm so sorry Detective Bonasera" Claire apologised genuinely taken aback "I'm going home Mac" she told her husband walking off.

"Go on then Mac get after her" Stella managed a small smile just for him "I'll be Ok."

"No I should be here….." He protested.

"Go home Mac" Stella insisted.

"Don't worry Aiden and I will take care of Stella" Donny assured him.

"I want that basterd Buchannon charged with attempted rape" Mac snarled angrily at Cassidy as he followed Claire homewards.

"Already on it" Cassidy replied his cell phone pressed to his ear.

Mac found his wife sitting on their sofa when he arrived home waiting for him "We need to talk" She told him firmly "About your relationship with Stella Bonasera."

"Not this again….." Mac growled "There is no relationship……You saw what that animal did to her I am her partner it's my job to protect her, to have her back when she's in danger and I should be with her now when she needs me the most not pandering to my wife who quite honestly is acting like a spoilt child."

"Mac sit down" Claire insisted pointing to the arm chair facing her "I want you to answer me truthfully how do you feel about Stella? Are you in love with her?"

"For the last time I have never been unfaithful to you with Stella or anyone else" He sank wearily into the chair "I would never be unfaithful to you Claire you know that."

"That isn't what I asked…but thank you Mac now I know the truth" She nodded sadly "Your smitten with her….you either can't or don't want to admit it."

"I'm….I don't honestly know" He hung his head in shame "I care about her but I'm far, far too old for silly crushes on someone who is barely out of high school."

"Bravo Mac" Claire mocked "I honestly didn't think it was possible that you could humiliate me anymore than you already had this evening but you just had to remind me that she is almost fifteen years younger than I am didn't you?"

"Here name is Stella and you know perfectly well what I meant" He hissed "Don't play the martyr with me Claire."

"I got my period today Mac" Claire sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me the IVF had failed earlier?" Mac said miserably "We can try again….."

"She could give you a child Mac but I never will" Claire pointed out "We need to face the truth here."

"There are other options open to us we could adopt a child maybe …….I married you Claire didn't I? I want you……." He insisted.

"Mac you just admitted to me that you don't know how you feel ….I'm no longer sure that anything you say is the truth being honest are you?" She asked.

"I forgave you….I swapped jobs for you ….hell Claire I only came New York in the first place because of you" He yelled "Why can't you have faith in me just once."

"Because what I did was a stupid one off mistake, done under the influence of too much booze and anti depressants, because unlike Quinn Mallory Stella is in here and here for you" She said, leaning across to tap his heart and his head "That's why."

"I'll prove I love you do anything you want….." He pleaded.

"There is a job back home in Chicago a promotion actually….. its mine if I want it and I intend to accept the offer…..come with me Mac please?" She begged "We could make a fresh start you would be close to Millie again I know you worry about her being alone….we could even think about adoption if that's what you would like."

"What about my job? My promotion?" He asked soberly "You know how much it means to me."

"You just said you would do anything for me Mac" She reminded him "Prove to me you meant it…..That's the choice you have come to Chicago with me or stay here with Stella…..you can't have both of us."

Mac's cell phone suddenly sprang in to life shattering the silence between them "I need to get this I asked Donny to call once Stella had been processed I need to know she is alright please don't ask me to explain Claire…..'I can't explain it even to myself….." He admitted.

"Make the choice Mac her or me" Claire told him calmly standing up to leave "I'm going to bed."

Stella Bonasera had never been so happy to see her own front door as she was now, Aiden and the medical staff at the hospital had done their best to make processing her as painless as possible but she didn't ever want to go through an experience like that again. Donny bless him had been waiting with a change of clothes that Aiden had retrieved from Stella's locker to take her home. Meanwhile Aiden had headed back to the Lab with what remained of Stella's dress and underwear along with the trace samples she had found on Stella's body.

"Can I come in?" Donny asked softly.

"I don't….I think maybe I should be alone I'm not really good company just now" Stella said.

"Please Stel….just for a little while I don't feel right leaving you here alone at least not until Buchannon is safely rounded up" He protested "Besides I don't think its healthy you being alone you need looking after if your not going to let me in then I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to pitch a wigwam outside your door just think what the neighbours will say about us Minnie ha ha Bonasera……"

"Alright, alright I surrender Hiawatha" Stella rolled her eyes too tired to argue "The sofa is all yours."

"Good" Donny grinned as they entered Stella's apartment.

"You want coffee or something?" She asked as he settled down on to her couch.

"Stella come here" He pulled her down next to him "The only thing I want is for you to talk to me."

"Donny like I said I'm not really good company right now……I'm not ready to talk about tonight my head still feels like I've been hit by a freight train" She told him honestly.

"I understand and I'm ready when you are ready….but tell me this would it make any difference if I was Mac?" He asked carefully.

Stella coloured "Donny I….Mac is my best friend that's all" She was adamant.

"I know this is not the right time Stel but there are rumours…..until tonight when I saw you dancing together I didn't believe them but I need to know have you and Mac become well…. intimate." He quizzed her "You don't have to lie to me I don't care if the stories are true it doesn't matter to me I love you Stella."

"Oh Donny please don't say that…." Stella pleaded "I care about you I do…."

"But not like that" He concluded "You're in love with Mac aren't you?"

Stella nodded softly "I can't help the way I feel about him Donny" She sighed "I wish I could I tried so hard not to feel this way…….. Never the less the answer is no Mac and I are not now or ever have been intimate he loves Claire he would never cheat on her and I would never let him; the guilt would destroy us both."

"Does he know how you feel about him?" Donny wanted to know.

"No!" She almost yelled "…..And he can't find out promise me Donny that you will never tell him what I've said tonight."

"It's not fair Stel not to anyone he should know how you feel about him" He argued "Maybe it would change things with Claire I mean."

"Or I might loose him altogether and I couldn't bear that …Please Donny don't tell Mac" She begged him once again.

"Alright I won't you have my word Stel ….." He promised reluctantly "You do realize I'm far, far better looking thought don't you?" He teased trying to lift her spirits.

"Not to mention oh so modest" She teased back "I do love you Donny just like a little brother."

"Geez Stel what a way to build a man's confidence" He chuckled "I already got a sister!"

"You will find someone Donny the right girl for you then you'll understand how I feel about Mac" She assured him.

"Maybe….but until then will you do something for me?" He asked.

"Anything" She replied.

"Call me Don or Flack either is fine I hate being called Donny my Nanna used to do that in front of all my friends" He confessed.

"Embarrassing uh?" She queried.

"When your seventeen and trying to impress girls oh yeah" He moaned.

"Flack it is then" She beamed.

Hesitantly Mac buzzed Stella's door bell "What the hell are you doing here Mac?" He berated himself angrily "Claire will castrate you if she finds out." After his wife had gone to bed Mac had spent three hours thinking about her ultimatum without even coming close to a decision. Even though Donny had assured him Stella was safe and well until he spoke to her himself he knew he'd been unable to settle let alone decide his future so for the first time in nearly fourteen years of marriage he'd lied to his wife said he was going to the Lab to do some paperwork ….how could he explain to Claire how he felt about Stella when he didn't understand himself? "Terrific Mac now you really are going behind your wife's back even though you've done nothing wrong in the first place….." He grumbled buzzing again "This will kill Claire if it gets out then she'll kill you"

"Alright already where's the fire" A drowsy Donny Flack opened the door dressed in boxers and a t-shirt.

"Donny? What are you doing here?" Mac asked surprised.

"Relax I'm on the couch I didn't think Stella should be alone tonight….. That alright with you Dad?" Donny yawned tiredly letting Mac into the apartment "Anyway I could ask you the same question."

"Pizza delivery what else?" Mac retorted tartly as Donny shut the door behind them.

"She's fine since you ask they gave her something to make her sleep at the Hospital" Donny rumbled returning to the couch "Or don't you care?"

"You know I do….Stella is my best friend" Mac hissed taking a seat.

"Funny I'm hearing that a lot recently shouldn't best friend be part of your wife's job description" Donny hissed back "Well shouldn't it."

"So your pissed at me too then Donny? I….we haven't done anything wrong" Mac insisted.

"Oh? Is that so…..'We' probably haven't but I'd say you done a wonderful job of hurting both your 'best friend' and your wife" Donny harrumphed "Not to mention letting me make a fool of myself."

"I never intended any of this to happen I love Claire I always have and I always will…." Mac stated.

"So you're just fooling around with Stella then? You selfish son of a bitch…." Donny grabbed Mac by his shirt collar and dragged to his feet "How could you hurt her like that?" He yelled.

Easily the ex-marine shoved the younger man away "There is nothing going on between Stella and me Donny, nothing and I would never treat Stella so badly……I can't even explain it to myself but when I'm with her its like everything else stops she leaves me breathless every time she smiles at me" Mac yelled back at his friend "Donny do you really think I could hurt her knowing that."

"A Hallmark moment what a surprise….never would have expect that from you Mac" Donny groused sitting back down "Just for the record It's Flack or Don from now on Donny is for kids and after everything I saw tonight believe me I'm all growned up."

"Claire is taking a job back home in Chicago wants me to go with her" Mac told him.

"So do us all a favour and go Stella doesn't need you" Donny retorted "Leave her be Mac if you care about her like you say you do stop messing with her head it just aint fair."

"Funny I told her that about you ….." Mac sighed pacing around the small room "I want to go with Claire I do but I can't imagine my life without Stella …… I don't want a life without Stella." Mac confessed.

"My heart bleeds" Flack put in "Looks like you have a problem then doesn't it."

"That's putting it mildly…..what did Stella say Donny? About me about our situation" Mac wanted to know fully appreciating the irony of their role reversal from the conversation they had a few days earlier.

"Does it make a difference?" Donny wanted to know.

"Perhaps ……." Mac replied "Perhaps."

"Nothing …." Donny lied "Absolutely nothing at all" Its what Stella wants he comforted himself and in time she'll forget all about Mac once he is in Chicago and then maybe she'll look at you the way she always has Mac.

"Flack what's happening out there" Stella called from her bedroom woken by the sound of angry voices.

"It's me Stella, Mac I just called in to see if you're alright" Mac called back.

"Two men in my apartment at 3.30 in the morning what ever will the neighbours say" She chuckled entering her sitting room wearing pink, fuzzy pyjamas.

"That your one very lucky girl?" Offered Flack.

"I'm doing Ok Mac" She assured him "What about Claire?" She worried.

"She's fine……all sorted" It was Mac's turn to lie this time "You don't need to worry about anything…. anyway I should be going sweet dreams Stel" He smiled planting a soft kiss on her cheek "And don't even think about coming into work for at least a month." Then he made his exit.

Not particularly wanting to go home Mac made his way to the Lab at least he would be telling Claire the partial truth he supposed picking up a stack of files; feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders Mac settled down into his seat he'd never felt so miserable or confused before. Giving up his job here at the Lab, his career for Claire he could just about live with but never seeing Stella again that idea cut through him to the quick he'd never felt about anyone the way he felt about Stella he'd rather be dead he realized a million times million times over then lose her. That brought him full circle back to Claire he couldn't bear the thought of losing her either …. He'd meant it when he said she was his whole world if anything ever happened to her….. Truthfully he wanted them both in his life and to be part of theirs, he wanted to argue with Claire who got crumbs in their bed and share his danish with Stella just the way they did every morning….it was an impossible choice and he didn't know what the hell he should do.

"Mac….Mac you gotta see this" Aiden bounced into the room almost knocking him over in her exuberance "The DNA samples I took from Stella I ran them against every sample we have in the system as per standard procedure ….its a match Mac 100% Buchannon's DNA is a match" She panted heavily as if she'd ran down every corridor in the Lab.

"A match to what" Shoving his personal problems to the background temporarily Mac asked intrigued.

"To the samples we found on Grace Costello and Tracey Clarke…." She shoved a pile of papers into Mac's hands "I think he's the Rose Mac just like you said Buchannon set Stockton up!"

**A/N: So what do we think folks worth the wait? Let me know (Hopefully the next and probably the last instalment will be quicker my apologies once again for the delay.) Incidentally a little extra food for thought the inspiration for Buchannon's attack on Stella comes from her odd reaction to the rape victim found in Central Park during the second episode of the first season (sorry can't remember the name of the episode) it seemed strange to me that an experienced CSI like Stella would suddenly stop and take a shower in the middle of an investigation almost as if something terrible had happened to her too, Although as far as I 'm aware that idea has never as such been fleshed out or followed up on. I would like to know your opinions on the subject since it would also put a different spin on later story lines particularly Frankie plus it would be a much more interesting not to mention effective line of character development to persue than anything TPTB have managed to come up with this season which brings me nicely on to a more pressing note. Personally I've had enough of TPTB this season this new love interest for Mac story line regardless of the latest spoilers circulating the net is plain insulting to us Smacked lovers and a giant leap way too far over the line in the light of an other shall we say infamous incident this year. So I'm urging all true Smacked fans to boycott the March 10****th**** episode as a show of disgust at this treatment of Smacked we deserve better! For the non Smacked amongst us just think a moment Angell was killed off whilst several characters for example Lindsay have had their appearances curtailed this season to save money but they can bring in this unwanted, unneeded character when it suits…..get mad and stay mad people show TPTB that by having this character in even one episode is one episode too many boycott March 10****th**** SOS SAVE OUR SMACKED!**


	7. Chapter 7

**MAY 2009**

Yawning wearily Stella Bonasera slowly closed her locker door before she finally left work for the night, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this downright bone tired. It had been her penultimate shift before she married Brandon in two days time, which should be the happiest day of her life but all she wanted to do was cry when she thought about it. Making her way over to the elevator she passed by Mac's office for a moment she wondered if she should go in and say goodnight like she always had done Stella longed to clear the air between them, to have Mac hold her and make everything right in the way only he could just one more time. Peeping through the glass walls she realized that his office was still empty as it had been for most of the day and for the past few weeks. Since their latest argument Mac had been going out of his way to avoid spending anytime at all with Stella, he'd changed shifts, taken cases at opposite ends of town from her and on her birthday he'd even volunteered to deputize for Sinclair at the weekly meeting with the Deputy Mayor at city hall a job he'd once told her he'd prefer to have both eyes poked out before he'd do rather than attend the party Lindsay had organized for her. No Mac could no longer bear to be in the same building with her he hated her that much and slowly a little more each day Stella was dying inside knowing that was how he felt. Stella felt empty without Mac it seemed to her that the joy had been sucked out of everything; she had wanted a home, a family and Brandon was a good man who genuinely cared about her who could give her those things she knew that but Stella still felt desperately unhappy. Her eyes wandered to the bracelet carved with Greek dancing girls around her wrist Mac's birthday gift to her the first year the had worked together strange how even now she still wore it every day ….all that was left of their bond she sighed miserably. Thinking back as she walked to the car park Stella knew what Claire had told her all those years ago was still true even though his wife was long dead it was still Claire Mac wanted and if he could have done so it would be Claire he'd have gone home to tonight. So finally after all this time Stella had come to a decision she was going to take the advice Claire had given her and 'move on for her own sake' she couldn't stay here in New York and just be friends with Mac not anymore it hurt to much she would marry Brandon, make beautiful babies and try her best to forge a happy life for her family to be after all she had no other choice did she? Thinking about Claire brought Stella full circle back to the Wild Rose she simply couldn't help it the two would be forever index linked in her mind; frustrating the Megan Roberts case still remained unsolved and had taken up a place of somewhat macabre honour on Mac's desk no new evidence had emerged nor had any further victims been discovered Stella couldn't quite make up her mind whether that was a good or bad thing. Recalling the feeling of Buchannon's breath on her skin, his touch caressing her face still made her feel physically sick; although she'd never told anyone even now several years later she still had nightmares about him.

Nearing her SVU Stella found Flack was leaning on the bonnet arms folded across his chest waiting for her "Hey Stella" He greeted her softly.

"Hey yourself" She replied opening the door on the driver's side "Do you want a ride home Flack or have you taken up stalking as a new hobby?"

"I….uhm Stel I need to ask you this one last time before you get married before everything gets crazy….." He began then taking a deep breath he continued "Stella I need to know are you sure marrying Brandon is what you want really and truly?"

"Flack we have been through this" She snapped "I'm getting married in two days time period."

"That would be a no then" Flack nodded "That's what I figured."

"Flack! For the last time as much as I love my work I want more, I need something more; I want a home of my own …. I want children, someone to come home to nights I've been alone most of my life and I don't want to be any longer why is it so damn hard for you and everybody else to understand that?" She howled.

"I understand alright ….you are not in love with him Stella, you never have been and you never will be you've just told me all the things you want but not once have you said you want Brandon" Flack argued "We both know how you feel about Mac and running away to Miami isn't going to change anything only cause you and everybody else more pain….. doesn't matter how many lies you tell yourself your making the biggest mistake of your life and you know it."

"Thank you Dear Donny….." Stella seethed climbing into her SVU "The NYPD's own personal agony uncle …… This is the right thing for me to do; there is nothing left for me here in New York not anymore."

"That's not true….talk to him Stella he's hurting just as much as you are" Flack insisted "Mac cares about you a lot more than he's supposed to always has ….."

"He can't even bear to share a Lab with me Flack…." She hissed slamming the SUV's door shut with a loud bang "Mac doesn't want me here not as his colleague, not as his friend and certainly not as anything else …..In two days time all this will be over and everyone will be happy you just need to trust in me I know what I'm doing" Then she put her foot down hard on the gas pedal and sped off.

"Just talk to him Stella" Flack yelled at the top of his lungs after her "Talk to Mac."

"Well?" Jessica Angell called out to Flack from the kitchen as he entered the small apartment they now shared "What happened with Stella the suspense is killing me."

"Something smells good" He called back.

"Ravioli and stop changing the subject" She chuckled exiting the kitchen to plant an extremely passionate welcome home kiss on his lips.

"Mmmmm…..that's nice" He murmured happily "You definitely have a career in the hospitality industry should you choose Detective Angell."

"Figured you could use a little TLC in fact…." She pushed him down onto their sofa and proceeded to undo both his collar and tie "Better?" She enquired.

Grinning Flack pulled her down onto his lap then he returned her earlier favour by pressing his lips down onto hers in the warmest, sweetest of kisses "….Am now" He muttered his lips moving along her cheek down Angell's collarbone "….And now."

"That bad?" Jessica asked between kisses.

"Worse" He admitted bring his assault in her neck to an abrupt halt "She refused point blank to listen to me; Jess she's going to marry Brandon and make the worse mistake of her life and the only person who can stop her is Mac but he's even more stubborn than she is…..flatly refuses to admit Stella leaving him is killing him inside. He couldn't even face going to her birthday party in case Brandon was there couldn't bear to see them together he told me so himself. Jess I admit it I'm beat I really don't know how to make them both see sense."

"Maybe this time you can't….." She advised "Perhaps it's better to let them make their own mistakes they are both adults after all."

"Who are behaving like a pair of star-crossed twelve year olds at present" Flack grumbled "Besides it's not their mistake to make…not really it's mine."

"Why do I get the feeling you haven't told me everything" Jess scolded gently.

"Because you're a brilliant Detective?" He suggested hopefully.

"….And you're a useless liar" She chuckled ruffling his hair.

"That as well" he nodded ruefully.

"Ok then I think you had better tell me everything don't you" Jess pointed out "Then maybe between the two of us can we sort this whole mess out."

"Fair enough….but you know don't you that all I want is to be with you always …..Stella and me well I was just a kid back then, I still care about her but not like that not anymore" He insisted "The day I met you I was done."

"Now I am worried" Jess teased.

"Jess!" He rolled his eyes impatiently.

"I know" She assured him kissing his forehead "I've always known."

"Right….." He sighed in relief "Well better make yourself comfortable since this is a long story…..you know about the original Wild Rose case don't you and what happened to Stella the night of the NYPD ball?"

"Yes" Jessica replied sliding off his lap onto the couch next to him.

"Well that night I took Stella home and she told me something I've never told anyone else….." He confessed "….That was my first mistake I should have….I should have shouted it from the damn rooftops."

"So let me get this straight" Jessica Angell stared open mouthed at her boyfriend once he'd finished his tale of woe starting in summer 2001 and finishing off with what happened the night of Stella's engagement party "You have lied to both Mac and Stella your best friends not once but repeatedly for the last eight years……" She was flabbergasted.

"I wouldn't call it lying not exactly……" He offered in his own defence "More disguising the truth to protect Stella."

"Aw Don" She shook her head in dismay "You've known all this time how Stella felt about Mac but you never told anyone not even me or more importantly Mac himself even though he asked you straight out more than once…..dress it up anyway you like but you lied to him and not for an altruistic reasons but because you were jealous."

"He was married to Claire at the time remember? He didn't know what he wanted he couldn't decide which one he wanted to be with …… I thought I was protecting Stella honestly I did" He told her "She made me swear not to tell him ….it was what she wanted."

"You were jealous Don" Jess repeated "If you'd told him the truth then maybe he could have made that decision for himself and none of us would be in this situation now just admit it."

"Alright I was jealous I was a stupid kid with a crush I thought if Mac went to Chicago with Claire then I could be Stella's shoulder to cry on….her knight in shinning squad car if you like and we could all live happily ever after the end" He scowled "Happy now?"

"Not especially" Jess shook her head "But you're right Don this is your mess you took the choice away from Mac first time around and now it's up to you to make it right."

"I only wish I knew how" He rubbed his eyes tiredly "Mac is the only one who can change Stella's mind but I can't seem to get through to him at all."

"If he won't listen to you what about somebody else there's got to be someone he listens to …. His dad maybe he's always been so proud of him" Jess suggested.

"No his dad died a few years back…..normally I'd say Stella he'd do just about anything for her usually….." A light bulb flickered on somewhere in the depths of Flack's mind and he jumped up from the sofa as if he'd received an electric shock "Oh god I'm an idiot" He clapped his hand across his forehead in self disgust "I'm a freakin' idiot…."

"No arguments here" Jess grinned up at him "Care to tell me what's going on."

"Yes….on the way get your coat we have to go" He said bolting for the door.

"Go? Go where?" Jess was baffled "And what about the ravioli?"

"Jess honey I mean this in the nicest possible way but screw the ravioli this is more important" He said dashing for the door "….And would you please hurry up we can get Chinese on the way he likes Chinese."

"Who does?" Jess took a quick diversion into the kitchen to turn the stove off before grabbing her coat and following Flack out into the hall way.

"Sheldon it's his favourite" Flack revealed halfway down the stairs to the car park already.

"If he won't listen to you no way on earth will he listen to Hawkes" Jess puffed frantically trying to keep up.

"No…..but Hawkes knows a woman who can if we hurry we can do this tonight it's gotta be about breakfast time over there right?" He asked.

"Where?" Asked Jess even more confused than earlier.

"England" Flack said simply "God bless the English!"

If there was one thing in this world as reliable as death and taxes it was Mac Taylor's behavioural patterns Flack chortled to himself happily; when Mac was in trouble if he wasn't working himself into a frenzy at the Lab or with Stella there was only one other place he would be….ever! The Half Moon night club was Mac's bolt hole (he deluded himself nobody knew of its existence but of course the entire NYPD did it was just nobody had the heart to tell him the truth) occasionally the usually inscrutable Lab boss could be found jamming with the House band on acoustic guitar he'd even known to sing on rare occasions Stella though was the only person privileged enough to have heard him She claimed he was good but then Flack decided she would wouldn't she? Tonight however Flack found his friend sitting alone in a darkened booth slowly stirring a half consumed glass of bourbon looking downright heartbroken.

"So this takes me back" Flack announced his arrival "Nothing changes much in here does it?"

"What do you want Flack?" Mac grumbled picking up his glass and examining the contents.

"I need you to do something for me Mac" Flack replied.

"I already talked to her….She's made her decision, She's happy, I'm happy everybody's happy live with it" Mac glugged down the rest of his drink.

"Yeah really looks like it ……We can do this the easy way or the hard way but you are coming with me Mac" Flack was adamant.

"No I am not I'm gonna get myself another drink and you…. you can go f….." But before Mac could move Flack slapped a handcuff to his wrist and another to his own

"What the hell……" Mac bellowed like a bull elephant.

"Hard way it is then" Flack guffawed dragging a startled Mac to his feet.

"Let me go Don" Mac tried to wriggle free.

"Certainly just as soon as we get to our destination" Flack cheerfully agreed then frog marched Mac towards the club's exit.

"Flack so help me….." Mac roared, turning red when he realized everybody in the club was now watching them.

Taking his badge out Flack waived it at the crowd of on lookers "Nothing to see here folks Detective Taylor's just going for a little walk downtown aren't you" Flack winked then dragged Mac out into the dark New York night.

"My Lab?" Mac asked in astonishment as they pulled up outside the Lab's back door still firmly joined together "You did all this to get me to go to my own Lab?"

"Oh I aint even remotely finished yet Mac" Flack retorted cheerfully and pushed the ex-marine through the doors into the building then he manoeuvred Mac along several corridors into the elevator and out again till they reached the Lab's communications suite.

"Good news now we're here" Flack grinned.

"You abduct me in the middle of the night to take me to my own Lab's conference suite?" Mac fumed.

"Trust me Mac you'll thank me for this one day" Flack said almost shoving his friend into the room

"You found him then" Sheldon Hawkes beamed he and Jess were waiting for the two men inside.

"Yup piece of cake he's so predictable" Flack replied "We all set in here?"

"Yes she says it's her pleasure you should have asked sooner" Jess said.

"Hey great genius takes time" Flack shrugged.

"Will somebody please undo these cuffs and tell me what the hell I'm doing here at midnight?" Mac seethed.

"Sorry Mac no can do but this is for your own and Stella's good" Hawkes told him "When your ready Flack just press that button there" He indicated to a panel on Flack's right then he left the room.

"You sure you'll be ok alone with him?" Jess asked Flack eyeing Mac who was furiously trying to pry the cuff of his wrist.

"Oh him….nah he's a pussy cat really….don't worry everything will be Ok" Flack smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek "See you later sweetheart."

"Alright I just hope this works" Jess told him and headed off after Hawkes.

"What works and for pities sake Don will you please take these damn cuff's off us" Mac demanded.

"Do you promise to play nice" Flack asked pressing the button Sheldon had shown him.

"How can I play nice? I don't even know what game I'm damn well playing" Mac raged moving so he had his back to the rooms giant comm. screen.

"How's about twenty questions Mac" A soft English accented woman's voice filled the small room "You where always good at that as I recall."

"Hey honey we are home" Flack called up to the screen "Do you stuff."

"Peyton!" Mac turned and stared up at the conference screen in surprise.

"Flack thought you might just listen to me" She nodded to the Detective whilst he finally unlocked the cuffs.

"You've been busy I see" Mac smiled noticing her swollen stomach.

"I got married last year his names James and he's an architect" She told him.

"There seems to be a lot of it around" Mac sighed his heart ached so much thinking of Stella walking down that isle in a few short hours that he couldn't breath.

"Yes Flack told me Stella is getting married the day after tomorrow what I'd like to know what we would all like to know is Why on earth is it not too you?" She asked crossing her arms firmly over her chest.

"Why should she be marrying me?" Mac sounded like a petulant child.

"Because you're head over heels in love with her Mac you always have been even when we were together" Peyton rolled her eyes "You just refuse to admit it and she feels the same way about you always has."

"Just how do you work that one out?" Mac harrumphed.

"Let's use your own advice and follow the evidence shall we?" Peyton and Flack shared a nod, she could win this battle of wills Flack was sure of it "Firstly there is Reed didn't you ever think it was strange that he mistook Stella for Claire and not me since we were supposed to be dating?"

"He's just a kid ….got confused that's all" Mac argued.

"A kid that saw the way you looked at Stella and saw what he thought was a man in love with his wife" Peyton rebuffed.

"If you say so" Mac grumbled.

"I do then there was the whole siege thing when you, Stella and Sheldon went die-harding about the lab remember?" She asked.

"I'm not likely to forget am I?" He shrugged.

"No neither am I; your gorgeous girlfriend (even if I do say so myself) is waiting for you outside and who did you hug first?" Peyton smirked.

"Stella" He admitted begrudgingly "She's my best friend isn't she?"

"Come to think of it you seem to spend an awful lot of time hugging your best friend" Flack chuckled to Peyton "Funny aint it he never hugs me, Danny or Hawkes though."

"He does doesn't he?" Peyton chuckled back "Seriously though" Her tone changed "Mac you and I both know that I never had your heart not really...I thought it was Claire that was coming between us till the night before you flew back to New York."

"I called Stella" Mac remembered.

"That's right our last night together and you called Stella….. That's when I knew you see you were miserable the whole time you were in London with me but when you heard her voice you lit up I've never seen you so alive and I knew you loved her" Peyton admitted "That's why I stayed here in London I knew hearing my voice could never make you light up like that."

"I missed her so much hearing her voice made me feel close to her ……" He admitted "That's all I've ever really wanted to be with Stella."

"She shoots she scores!" Flack muttered to himself "A break through at last."

"I'm so sorry Peyton I never meant to hurt you" Mac apologized "I always said you were smarter than me. You knew before I did Mac Taylor loves Stella Bonasera."

"What are you still doing here then? Tell her that you fool" Peyton scolded.

"I can't it's much, much to late" Mac shook his head sadly "I've left it too late."

"No it's not" Flack insisted "She loves you Mac I know she does…..she always did she told me so."

"When?" Mac reeled at Flack's admission,.

"The night Buchanon attacked her I took her home remember?" Flack asked.

"I do" Mac nodded.

"You had gone after Claire and Aiden had take Stella's clothes to the lab for forensic testing she was hurting wanted a shoulder to cry on I suppose….. I needed to know if the rumours about you and Stella being well intimate was true." Flack stopped to catch his breath.

"I never cheated on Claire not with Stella not with anyone ….I loved my wife Flack" Mac was adamant.

"That's what Stella said but I saw you with her that night we all did and it was obvious you felt something for her I think you always did" Flack told him "That you never could be just friends."

"Claire …..She said I was smitten" Mac confessed.

"So I asked her asked Stella to tell me the truth …. I said it didn't matter to me if she was sleeping with you because I loved her anyway at the time I thought I did ……" Flack continued; "That's when she told me she said that she loved you but you had always been faithful to your wife; Stella said that she would rather be your friend and be part of your life then tell you and make you chose between her and Claire because Claire would always win so she made me promise I would never tell you."

"I came over to Stella's place that night Flack I asked you if Stella was ok told you how I felt about both of them Stella and Claire ….All this time all these years and you never said a word why?" Mac's temper erupted and he shoved Flack to the wall by the throat.

"I was selfish jealous kid ok? I couldn't be sure you'd choose Claire; I told you I thought I was in love with Stella still did till I met Jess and I thought if you knew Stella loved you then you would take her from me….. Part of me thought that in time I could make her want me not you" Flack hollered back "Admit it Mac you couldn't choose between them you told me so yourself."

Slowly Mac released his grip on his friend calmer now he asked "That was eight years ago I've talked about Stella hundreds of time since then told you how I felt about her asked you what she's said about me why didn't you didn't say anything sooner?"

"You went on a massive guilt trip after Claire died….it was like you blamed your self ….. That you were responsible for Claire's death somehow because you cared for Stella." Flack explained "How could I possibly tell you?"

"Mac….." Peyton interjected from above "I never met Claire and I honestly don't know what might have been if she had lived or if Flack had told you what Stella had said sooner nobody can ever know that but I can tell you that you have a second chance to be with Stella someone you love with all your heart and who loves you with all hers…..This may be a cliché but most of us are lucky if that happens once in a lifetime let alone twice fight for her Mac."

"The lady is right Mac if I could go back in time and change this whole sorry mess believe me I would" Flack swore "Stop Stella making the biggest mistake of all our lives tell her how you feel about her."

"I….I need to think" Mac stammered heading towards the door.

"Where are you going" Flack wanted to know.

"Anywhere…..nowhere" Mac called over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Do you think that worked?" Peyton asked anxiously.

"I hope so……I really do hope so" Flack sighed gloomily.

**August 2001**

Joe Cassidy stared at the DNA test results he held in his hands and shook his head at the other two people currently in his office in sheer disbelief "We are absolutely sure here people aren't we about this? I don't want any mistakes Ray Buchannon is a serving Officer in the NYPD I'll be damned if I'm going to put my Lab's reputation not to mention the Department's as a whole on the line because someone mixed up a Q-tip."

"Sir I triple checked those test results" Aiden assured him.

"Then I quadruple checked them" Mac advised Cassidy "Taking into account Buchannon's attack on Stella last night Sir I don't think we couldn't be more sure that he's at least implicated in the Wild Rose murders short of a signed confession."

"It's still not enough" Cassidy insisted "Any good Lawyer will argue that whatever Buchannon did last night was an act of drunken stupidity or that Detective Bonasera led him on in someway since she was alone with him for quite sometime…."

"The tried to her Sir" Mac jumped to Stella's defence angrily "You're making it sound like she asked for it."

"Because the jury will be told she did…….Not to mention the whole jealous boyfriend seeking revenge has set me up defence he's bound to pull" Cassidy continued without missing a beat "He wouldn't have to work to hard to find evidence on how close you and Detective Bonasera have become recently would he? No I want this son of a bitch's ass nailed to my wall permenantly so we are going to play this by the book I want the case against him to be like a fish's rear end….."

"Water tight" Mac completed Cassidy's thought.

"I've already arranged for a warrant to search Buchannon's apartment in relation to last nights events I want you to do that Mac, Aiden you take his desk and locker" Cassidy issued assignments "Outside of this room this is need to know until we have iron clad proof of guilt I don't want to start a city wide panic because psycho cop is on the loose also bear in mind he still is very popular with the rest of the NYPD they see him as an hero figure if we don't do this just right we will have every Cop in New York against us it will become the Buchannon vs. Taylor grudge match and nobody wants that as soon as that happens it gives Buchannon reasonable doubt and the walks. Unfortunately we still haven't been able to pick him up the Black and White outside his place say he's not been back home I don't want to start a riot out there that understood?"

"Yes sir" Mac and Aiden agreed as the stood to leave.

"Mac can I have a word in private with you" Cassidy asked.

"Yes Sir" Mac nodded having the sinking feeling he knew what about.

"I'll catch you later" Aiden smiled and left closing the office door behind her.

"About last night Mac….." Cassidy said quietly "Do you remember when I asked you about the nature your relationship with Detective Bonasera."

"Yes Sir I do" Mac confirmed.

"In that case would you like to revise your answer son" Cassidy asked cautiously.

"No Sir I was telling the truth then and I am now I have never had any sort of improper relationship with Stel…..Detective Bonasera" He replied trying to convince himself as much as Cassidy that his statement was completely true.

"Son we all saw you together last night…..heard your wife" Cassidy pointed out.

"My wife was not herself last night her latest IVF treatment had failed and she was struggling with it" Mac told him "She is also talking about taking a job back in Chicago ….. She feels a fresh start is best for her."

"Ah I see then you want a transfer to the Chicago office I understand" Cassidy nodded sounding relieved "I'll set the ball rolling I'll be sorry to loose you Mac but I think it's the best thing for everyone" He smiled.

"No….I mean yes …..Honestly Sir I don't know if I want a move back to Chicago or not" Mac confessed "I haven't decided yet"

"It will take sometime for the paper work to go through anyway, at least a month. I would expect that should give you enough time to make a decision don't you think?" Cassidy asked pointedly "If we process the paperwork now all you'll need to do is sign the form if you do decide you want the transfer but if you don't then we will need to revisit the topic of Detective Bonasera again since it might not be appropriate for you to continue working together you do understand that don't you?"

"Yes Sir" Mac nodded "I do ……May I ask a favour Sir?"

"Depends now doesn't it" Cassidy replied warily "On what it costs me."

"Detective Bonasera Sir she doesn't know about my wife's plans to move back to Chicago I'd like to tell her myself ….after I've made my decision I don't wont her to be put under anymore stress then she already is….. Stella she's already been through enough trauma recently I don't want to cause her any unnecessary pain" Mac explained.

"Given Detective Bonasera's current situation I think I can agree to do that Mac but don't put off telling her for to long she's not stupid and she will find out sooner rather than later" Cassidy warned.

"Yes Sir" Mac agreed, Flack had told him much the same thing when Mac had asked him not to tell Stella about Claire's demand …. Mac was on a clock and he knew it.

After leaving Cassidy's office Mac collected his kit and headed straight for Buchannon's apartment to his astonishment he found Stella complete with her own kit and Flack already there waiting for him outside Buchannon's front door.

"What are you doing here Stel?" Mac frowned, approaching them both.

"Waiting for you so we can begin processing the scene of course" She answered curtly dangling a set of keys in front of him.

"Stella go home" Mac insisted taking the keys from her "Go to the movies….go shopping , go anywhere but here; you don't need to do this I already know how tough you are and you have barely even started to recover from last night ……"

"I already tried that Mac she refuses to listen" Flack announced "Practically threatened to castrate Buchannon's Super if he didn't hand those keys over."

"You obviously didn't try hard enough then did you?" Mac sniped "Why did you even tell her you knew she would react this way….." He fumed "Your supposed to be protecting her not taking her on guided tours of suspected serial killer's apartments that's why Cassidy sweet talked your Lieutenant into loaning you to the Lab temporarily in the first place."

"Oh that's rich coming from you I'm not the one who allowed his so called best friend to be left all alone with a freakin' psycho in the first place am I?" Flack shouted back "I mean did it never occur to you to warn her or anyone else for that matter Mac well did it? Or was that the plan all along SuperMac to the rescue……"

"Enough both of you…." It was Stella's turn to shout "She is standing right here in case you two haven't noticed, if you must know Mac Joe Cassidy called me he thought I should be told for my own protection and as for you Flack Mac did try to warn me and if he hadn't been there for me last night I could be floating downstream with a rose between my teeth right now so I'd say I'm extremely lucky to have such a good friend actually two good friends even if you both drive me crazy. You two can stay here and argue all day but I am going to process Buchannon's apartment I started this case with you Mac and whether you like it or not I'm damn well going to finish it that way."

"Fine have it your own way" Mac grumbled opening Buchannon's front door.

.

Once inside they each took a room to search Flack the kitchen, Stella the sitting room and Mac the bedroom. Moving about the sitting room Stella realised one of the floorboards underneath the heath rug felt loose rolling it back she used a small crow bar from her kit to prize up; shinning her flashlight down into the darkness she spotted something glistening in its beam. Sliding a gloved hand down into the gap her fingers touched plastic gently she tugged at it pulling the object free, She found herself holding a clear plastic evidence bag sealed inside was a woman's left shoe a perfect match to the one Tracey Davies had lost.

"Mac I've found something" She called out.

"Me too" He called back "I think you should see this."

Taking the shoe with her Stella entered Buchannon's bedroom at first glance it seemed perfectly normal to her but staring back from the rear wall were hundreds of images of herself covering every spare inch of space; Photographs, newspaper cuttings even a high school year book picture of her in a cheerleader's uniform. Underneath the pictures stood a small table covered in a white lace table cloth; on top stood two silver candle holders containing magnolia coloured candles in between them was a bowl of fresh red rose petals.

"Oh god Mac it's a shrine……….." Stella gaped, her voice trembling "……….He said he knew all about me."

"Looks like he's been following you…..those were taken outside your place" He indicated to a batch of photos on his right.

"This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it" Flack groaned coming to join them "Look what I found" he held out another photograph so Mac and Stella could see.

Curiously Mac took the photograph from him; it was of two young men and a curly haired, green eyed young woman, the darker haired of the two men looked roughly about twenty years old and was defiantly Seth Stockton the other man looked roundabout the same age and had his arms around the woman's waist "Ray Buchannon" Mac murmured.

"It was on his refrigerator" Flack told them "Looks like a happy family photo if you ask me."

"Notice anything about the woman Stel think about Costello and Davies too…." Mac sighed showing her the picture.

"All three are curly haired, fairly tall and have either blue or aqua eyes ……." She said fearfully "Just like me."

"It's Ok Stel…." Mac slipped his hand over hers and squeezed it tight "He's never getting near you again I promise you I won't let him."

"Too right" Flack agreed wholeheartedly "Over our dead bodies."

"I'm calling Butch get him to send Aiden and a full team over here" Mac decided flipping open his phone "We need to tear this place apart ……god only knows what Buchannon has been doing in here." Before he could act though his phone beeped into life "Not now Claire" He muttered noticing her number appear on his screen.

"Honey this is not a good time….." He began to say answering her call.

"Aw honey don't you love me no more" Buchannon's mocking voice interrupted him.

"What the hell Buchannon?" Mac yelled out in surprise.

"Buchannon?" Stella and Flack chorused.

"Where is my wife" Mac roared down the phone his stomach turning somersaults with fear.

"Look out of the bedroom window" Buchannon said simply.

Mac pointed at the window, nodding Stella and Flack followed him over to the other side of the room. Peering out they saw Claire sitting in the driving seat of a car parked at the end of the alleyway Buchannon was next to her in the passenger's seat a gun firmly pressed to her head.

"Say hello to hubby dearest Mrs T" they heard Buchannon tell Claire and saw him clamp his cell phone to her face.

"Mac I'm so sorry……" She began.

"There is nothing to be sorry for….. I'm coming for you don't worry" Mac reassured her.

"Aw sweet very Romeo and Juliet I'm sure" Buchannon sneered "But then again Mrs T isn't your only Juliet now is she."

"What do you want Buchannon" Mac rasped, indicating to Flack to slip away whilst he kept Buchannon busy.

"What's rightfully mine….." Buchannon replied "I told you last night …..You can't have them both if you want the lovely Mrs T then give me Stella she belongs to me and I want her back" with that he slammed his phone shut forcing Claire to drive off in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes.

Twenty seconds later Flack appeared outside "I'm so sorry Mac…." He mouthed to him "I'm so sorry."

**A/N: Alas it does look like one more chapter at least is needed to complete this story after all I had hoped to fit everything into this one but the best laid plans etc… Well done to everyone who didn't watch CSI NY on March 1Oth making it the lowest rated episode this season and possibly ever it's nice to know I'm not alone in my disgust at TPTB with this particular storyline. When I wrote this chapter I had no idea that Peyton would be anything more than a bad smell; a figment of all our worst nightmares I would like to state for the record I never could stand the character and would rather have teeth pulled than watch this Peyton/Aubrey crap. So I would am urging everyone reading this story to redouble their efforts as from April 7****th**** and do as much damage as possible to the ratings in protest at this ludicrous storyline. Keep the pressure on TPTB folks the lower the ratings drop the faster we get rid of this down right insulting story line add to that the Hawkes love interest story line we have been promised all season is being dropped in its favour I should say its high time TPTB were taught a lesson they wont forget in respect for their fans and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. A CSI: NY without Smacked isn't worth watching at all demand the justice for Smacked we've earned the past six years and boycott the rest of the season for every point the ratings for SVU rise we drive another nail into this storyline & its writer's coffin If Pam Veasey A'K'A the Queen of the morons wants feedback then I say that we will give her all the bloody feedback she can take by make sure those ratings plummet show her that she can stick her precious storyline right where the monkeys stick their nuts. Its time us Smacked Fans stood up to be counted every chance we get I'm asking you to bombard every forum, Face book page and twitter etc you can with anti-Peyton/Aubrey feedback we need to fight for what we want.**

**SAVE OUR SMACKED SOS!**


	8. Chapter 8

**May 2009**

"So how does it feel Stel…..It's got to be kinda weird right? This is the last time you will ever get up at 4am and dust for prints at a crime scene" Lindsay Monroe-Messer asked the Greek CSI who was currently crouched down dusting a hotel doorknob.

"Linds they do have crime scenes in Miami and plenty of Hotels too for that matter…." Stella chuckled finishing what she was doing and standing up "I don't think I'll be hanging up my brush just yet."

"You know perfectly well what I mean" Lindsay rolled her eyes "Tomorrow you will be married and nothing will ever be the same again the family will be split up….this is your last ever shift and I'll miss you we all will. Why couldn't Brandon get a job in New York for Pete's sake? Have we suddenly run out of fires for him to fight here or something?"

"Don't ……you'll start me crying again" Stella tried to choke back her tears "I'll miss you all too so very much ….. It's not like I'll never see you all again though is it? I mean its Miami not the end of the universe you can all come and visit any time you want you would always be welcome then there are e-mails ……." Stella couldn't hold on any longer her body shook as she began to sob "See I told you so this is all you fault Messer" She mumbled tearfully.

"Stella is everything alright" Lindsay asked worried at her unexpected outburst.

"Everything is fine honestly" Stella insisted trying to mop away the tears streaming down her face"Just a massive case of pre-wedding nerves that's what Brandon says leastways."

"What Brandon says?" Lindsay was surprised at her friend's admission "What about Stella? The Stella Bonasera we all know and love would never let anyone tell her own mind what does she say?" She wanted to know.

"She….Oh Lindsay I feel so confused" Stella admitted "I…..I don't know what I should do."

"If marrying Brandon doesn't make you happy then don't do it there is still time to say no" Lindsay advised the curly haired Csi "Stella you don't look very happy to me………Is it because……I mean does Mac make you happy?"

"Lindsay I……." Stella began to say but Flack's arrival at the crime scene interrupted her before she could finish.

"Good morning ladies" He greeted them happily.

"Hey Flack" Lindsay smiled thinly.

"You alright Stella?" He wondered noticing her red puffy eyes and tear stained face.

"Yes absolutely fine…..Just a little case of pre-wedding jitters is all" Stella insisted.

"Have you spoken to Mac at all recently?" Flack asked hopefully.

"No should I have?" Stella replied.

"I thought after…..no obviously not….." Flack's heart sank "Doesn't matter anyway."

"That's alright then I'm going back to the Lab anyone want a ride?" She offered.

"I'll catch you up later" Lindsay told her eying up Flack suspiciously.

"See you later then" Stella nodded and walked off towards her SVU.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on or do I need to get Danny down here to beat it out of you?" Lindsay asked as they watched Stella drive off.

"Lindsay firstly Danny Messer could beat an egg let alone me ……"Flack quipped.

"Hey I'll have you know my Danny makes a very good Spanish omelette" Lindsay protested prodding the unsuspecting Detective in his abdomen.

"Ouch….." He grimaced "Anyway moving on we have bigger problems then Danny's culinary skills right now Stella…."

"Doesn't want to marry Brandon she's in love with Mac and he worships the ground Stella walks on but neither one is willing to admit to it and time is rapidly running out" Lindsay finished his sentence for him.

"That about covers it yes" Flack agreed wholeheartedly "I thought I'd finally got through to Mac last night…. He disappeared off into the wild blue yonder so I assumed he'd gone straight over to Stella's place, finally declared his undying love for her at long last and that by now they would be safely tucked up in bed making little Mac and Stella's" He sighed forlornly.

"All he needs to say are three little words geez men are such morons" Lindsay groaned.

"On behalf of the entire male population thanks for the vote of confidence there Linds" Flack grumbled.

"We need to find Mac and make him tell Stella how he really feels about her at gunpoint if necessary" Lindsay told him.

"Yeah we do ….. But where the hell is Mac?" Flack scowled "We need to get a search party together Linds and drag him back here by his ass if needs be."

"Better get calling the troops then hadn't we?" Lindsay flipped open her cell phone "Mac can't have gotten too far can he?"

After leaving the Lab Mac had driven around aimlessly for a long while not able to decide on any particular destination, he needed to tell Stella how he felt about her and he hoped with all his heart stop her marrying Brandon. Mac knew now that everything Flack and Peyton had told him were true he could no longer continue to hide how he felt about Stella anymore; not that he'd been particularly good at that anyway according to everybody else but because much more importantly he didn't want to. He was in love with Stella he intended to tell her that everyday for the rest of his life if she'd let him. Before he did though he needed to be with Claire, explain things too her it didn't feel right otherwise; Mac felt he owed her that much at least and he needed to finally say goodbye to his late wife in his own way. Mac wanted to begin his life with Stella with a totally clean slate he did not want the past getting in the way of their future together. Finding a way to be with Claire though, that was the hard part he didn't have a grave to go to and the public memorials erected in memory of those killed during the 911 atrocities seemed so impersonal he needed to be alone with his wife one last time to say what he needed to say. That's when it had hit him, during their first year in New York Claire had taken him for a champagne breakfast on the beach to mark their first wedding anniversary as New Yorkers she had said; alone on the beach they had watched the sun rise together Claire snuggled safely in his arms. She had been so happy there had even talked about moving to the coast once they had both retired "The Grandkids would love it here" She had grinned. Together they had returned many times to that same spot but after Claire's death he'd never had the heart to go back there again today though it felt like it was the right thing to do so here he was standing alone on a deserted beach waiting for the sun to rise. The first rays of warm sunlight appeared over the horizon tinting the ocean with a rose coloured hue and so Mac began "Claire I need to tell you something…….I had this whole speech worked out but it seems woefully inadequate now" He sighed toying with his wedding ring.

"It's about Stella and me you were right all along I was and am still in love with her; I don't know when that happened or even how but I know deep inside me that it's been true for such a long time. You always did know me better than I knew myself didn't you? It was one of the many things I loved about you. I swear to you though when we were together I never cheated on you with her or anyone else but I need you to understand why I can't let Stella marry Brandon. I didn't understand what you were trying to tell me back then that there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with them but now I know there is a difference……..because that's how I feel about you. I will always love the memory of you Claire that will never change and I will never forget the time we had together but I'm not in love with you not anymore. I've finally made the decision you asked me to make all those years ago I know what I want now more than I've ever wanted anything I want to be with Stella I need to know if we can make this work I can see myself growing old with her maybe even having children….. Truthfully I need her in my life she's been my only reason to draw breath for the past eight years even though I've never had the courage to tell her that but it's now time I did……perhaps it's something I should have done long ago. I know it's a lot to ask but I hope that you can understand and that one day you will be able to forgive me……" The sun reached its perigee for the day its warmth caressing his cheek, for a moment Mac could swear it was his late wife's touch he could feel upon his face "Thank you sweetheart" He smiled carefully slipping his wedding ring off "Goodbye Claire you will always be in my heart" Then he tossed the ring as far as he could out into the ocean where the sea met the sky "Always."

"Sid where is everyone?" Stella walked into the break room searching for somebody anybody the Lab had taken on a distinct resemblance to the Marie Celeste "I wanted to say goodbye to everyone before I left, before everything gets busy tomorrow and I don't have time" She explained.

"I don't know" Sid lied crossing his fingers behind his back "Flack said something about a ball game" He shrugged, please find Mac and get back here soon he prayed with every fibre of his being after all Mac's usual haunts including the Half moon had been ruled out the team had all set about turning New York upside down looking for the errant Lab boss Adam had even suggested locking onto his Cell phone signal unfortunately as it turned out Mac had left his phone in his desk draw so now every friend and contact Mac had ever made even his dentist was being expertly grilled regarding his whereabouts. Sid had been left home alone so to speak to keep an eye on Stella "For heavens sake don't let her do something stupid like elope" Angell had pleaded with him.

"A ball game? Figures….." Stella muttered under her breath "In that case I'll just say my goodbyes to you Sid then I'll go."

"No!" Sid almost shrieked "I mean what's the rush….don't I even get a hug after all I am giving you away tomorrow so that makes me sort of you dad more or less doesn't it? So I reckon I should be entitled to a hug at the very least."

"Ok sort of dad I'd like that" She smiled.

"Come here then" He opened his arms to her.

Stella happily entered into his embrace "Thanks Sid for everything I couldn't wish for a better sort of dad" She told him "I don't know what my real dad was like but I hope he was someone like you."

"I'm sure he would be very proud of his little girl your mom too" Sid assured her "Do you mind your sort of dad giving you some advice?" He asked letting go of her.

"No not all" She replied.

"Good" Sid took both her hands in his own "When my girls are getting married I intend to them the same thing I'm going to tell you now …. There is no such thing as a happy ever after except in fairytales; a marriage is damn hard work and requires honesty, trust and above all love between two people in order to succeed. You need to be true to yourself and your partner if you listen to what is in your heart then you will not go far wrong I promise you that on sort of dad's honour."

"How do you know if what is in your heart is right?" Stella asked "If it keeps telling you that what you should want is wrong and what you can never have is right?"

"Oh Stella you will always know…… when you see with your heart it never lies to you and you can never lie to it doesn't matter how hard you might try……" Sid smiled "…..Then again I think you already knew that didn't you?"

"Yes I think I always have" She answered softly.

"Good, that's good Stella" He assured her "Now then since I am your sort of dad I feel obliged to tell you that if you ever need anything just to talk even then I'm always here although when it comes to borrowing money you probably earn more than I do."

"I'll remember that" Stella chortled.

"Where the hell is everyone?" Brigham Sinclair stomped into the break room sending the door crashing against the wall.

"Ball game?" Sid offered timidly.

"Ball game? Dispatch is screaming blue murder at me because apparently there is no CSI available to attend a shooting in the Bronx and you mean to tell me my entire team has gone to a damn ball game?" He rasped.

"Pretty much" Sid nodded.

"Bonasera what are you doing?" Sinclair asked suspiciously.

"I don't work here anymore remember" She pointed out.

Sinclair consulted his watch "I think you'll find that for another five minutes and twenty two seconds your ass still belongs to me grab a kit and get down there as soon as the 'ball game' ends I'll send someone to relieve you now move" He ordered her before stomping off towards the elevators.

"Well" Stella shrugged to Sid "I don't suppose one last call out can hurt can it?"

As it turned out Stella's final call out for the NYPD took her too a run down tenement building in an area of the Bronx earmarked for destruction shortly, abandoned by everyone but the rats and the construction workers preparing to tear it down every window in the building had been boarded over and only one side entrance remained open.

"Detective Bonasera I presume?" A slim red haired woman with blue eyes dressed in a NYPD uniform greeted her as she stepped out of her SVU "Officer Alexandra Hunt but my friends call me Alex."

"Stella please" She introduced herself "Where are Detectives Flack and Angell?"

"That's what my Lieutenant would like to know" Alex grinned mischievously "They seemed to have vanished into thin air so I'm afraid it's just you and me."

"You had better fill me in then" Stella smiled.

"Right this way Stella the DB is on the fifteenth floor unfortunately for us the Electric Company cut the power off last week so nothing works" Alex told her leading Stella on into the building with her flashlight.

"Do we know who our DB is or what he's doing here?" Stella wanted to know as they proceeded to climb the stairs.

"Kyle Williams fifteen years old according to his student ID card" Alex informed her "The construction workers say some of the local teenagers have been using this place as a kind of secret hideout to smoke, drink booze and bring girls too that sort of thing if you know what I mean."

"I do" Stella nodded.

"Here we are…… finally" Alex indicated to a dirty navy blue door marked 1510 with a broken padlock hanging off of it "An explosives expert was doing his final rounds before they blow up this place tomorrow morning when he found him" Alex explained pushing the door open sending a cloud of rust up into the atmosphere.

Pulling out her own flashlight Stella set to work "He's just a baby" She crouched down by what appeared to be the body of a golden haired brown eyed boy who looked nearer ten then fifteen.

"Probably hasn't even started shaving yet" Alex agreed.

Upon closer examination Stella realized instantly something was terribly wrong "It's a dummy" She said out loud "The type they use in first aid classes" Stella's flashlight caught a hint of something glistening in the dark moving away from the fake body and towards the object Stella realized it was a shoe, the right shoe to a pair of women's red leather stiletto heels the missing shoe to a pair Stella had seen recently, the pair Megan Edwards had been wearing the night she had died.

"Alex we need to get out of here right now this situation just got a whole lot more serious" Stella informed her companion "I believe this could be connected to the Megan Edwards case we need to call for full back up immediately."

"Nobody is going anywhere" Alex calmly slammed the door behind them shut, her gun pointed directly at Stella's forehead "I've waited too long to meet you Stella besides we have such a lot to talk about I believe you know my father his name is Ray…..Ray Buchannon I've come to take you home now."

Mac arrived back at the Lab a little before noon to find his team assembled in the conference room minus Stella; he entered to be greeted by a sea of anxious faces "Where the hell have you been?" Flack almost bit his head off.

"There were a few things I needed to sort out before I spoke with Stella….where is she by the way?" Mac wondered; something inside him suddenly feeling terribly afraid to know the answer.

"Mac……there is no easy way to say this" Flack began.

"No…..don't give me your bad news spiel Flack not again I've lived through this moment before" Mac told his friend his heart turning somersaults inside his chest "Just tell me where Stella is."

"Sinclair sent her out to one last Crime Scene down in the Bronx; apparently dispatch had called his office because no one could be found to go and they were desperate" Lindsay told him "When Danny and I got back Sid told us she had she'd already left the Lab that was four hours ago when she didn't call back after forty minutes as per standard operating procedure we tried contacting her but got no reply from either her cell phone or her radio……"

"By that time Don and I had returned so we decided to ask dispatch to call the squad car which should be with Stella to check everything was alright but they couldn't find any record of the 411 being reported to them" Angell continued "Or anyone ever having contacted Sinclair's office for that matter."

"So then Danny, Jess and I went to the address Sinclair had been given we found her kit and her SVU but no Stella ……she had vanished completely. Mac we found Megan Edward's missing shoe at the scene the thinking is that she was killed there and that the Rose has abducted Stella" Flack finished their tale.

"History repeating itself" Danny shuddered.

"She was set up Mac" Hawkes shook his head sadly "Lindsay, Adam and I checked our communication systems somebody had hacked into the Lab's CCTV network, phone lines and computer systems; they knew everything that went on inside here knew Stella was by herself."

"They were just waiting for the right opportunity to get to her" Angell put in "The Rose must have had this planned right from the start."

"Buchannon never was stupid" Flack said "He waited till we dropped our guard and Sinclair had taken Stella's protection detail away."

"We still don't know it is him" Danny pointed out.

"She shouldn't have been alone…..why was no-one with her?" Mac yelled at them all; his head and his heart ached both still reeling from the news.

"We were all out looking for you" Flack yelled back "You had disappeared off the face of the earth remember……as usual never there when Stella needs you. Like Messer said history repeating itself"

"You never have forgiven me for that have you Don? Why are you all still sitting here instead of searching for her" Mac furiously demanded to know.

"Sinclair's orders…..he's convinced Stella's already dead and what was done to the comms systems had to be an inside job no-one is allowed to leave until IA has cleared us" Angell explained.

"Screw that" Mac turned and stormed out he felt unable to breathe properly his heart beat so fast ….. How the hell could this be happening again? The Rose had taken Stella from him once more and Mac was going to do whatever it took to get her back with or without help and when he found the Rose this time he was going to make sure he was gone for good he'd ring his neck with his bare hands if he had too. Making his way to his office he came face to face with an extremely irate Brandon who was busy trying to get past the Lab's security guard.

"Detective Taylor what is going on?" He demanded to know spotting Mac "Where is my fiancée? What has happened to Stella?"

**August 2001**

Sitting in the Lab's tiny conference room Mac Taylor felt like he was no-longer part of the world he lived in, he was barely aware of what was going on around him it was simply background noise like static on a poorly tuned in radio……. "No" his mind wanted to scream out as loud "No this can't be happening to me….Buchannon can't do this its some terrible nightmare and I'll wake up in bed Claire safely beside me……" The thought of Claire alone out there with that monster made his blood run ice cold if Buchannon so much as harmed a hair on her head Mac would skin the man alive. His gaze locked with Stella's and a moment of pure understanding connected them both …… he felt her worry for him and Claire both; how could he let Stella do this? How could he ask Stella to sacrifice herself to Buchannon even in exchange for Claire's life? Simple answer he couldn't. To Mac Stella's life was more precious than his own he'd happily die a million times million times over rather than have her come to any harm; to give in to Buchannon's demands for Claire's safe release was much too high a price to pay.

"Well it seems that we have a situation here people" Cassidy said; the moment Mac, Stella and Flack had returned to the Lab he'd called an emergency conference he'd already put the entire Lab on red alert meaning every other case had been put to one side until Claire Taylor's safe return or otherwise.

"That's putting it lightly" Flack huffed.

"I've briefed the Chief of Detectives about the circumstances surrounding your wife's disappearance Mac" Cassidy told him "He agrees with me that it is time Buchannon's activities became public knowledge so as we speak every precinct in New York state is being given the same orders to do whatever it takes to find them both; we should have the eyes of every cop in the city looking out for Claire we are all with you Mac."

"It was her car they were in……" Mac said softly.

"I've already put out an APB with all the details Mac" Stella tried to comfort him.

"What about Buchannon's cell phone" Cassidy asked hopefully.

"It's unregistered one we can't trace it" Stella told him.

"Aiden and her team are turning over Buchannon's place with a fine toothed comb….." Flack nodded "We will find her Mac."

"Do we have anymore details on his connection to Stockton or who the woman in the picture is?" Asked Cassidy.

"According to Buchannon's Departmental records he attended the same High School in Las Vegas as the one on Stockton's criminal record he only transferred to New York from LVPD about five years ago" Mac said flatly "An old friend of mine Catherine Willows at the LVPD Crime Lab is digging into both men's backgrounds as quickly as she can on the NYPD's behalf but as yet we have been unable to identify the woman."

"What about Buchannon himself?" Cassidy wanted to know "Have we had any further contact from him at all regarding his ransom demand."

"No ……" Stella shook her head "Nothing at all."

"Stella nobody will think any the worse of you if you say no but and believe me I don't like having even to think about asking this but would you be prepared to go along with the switch if it came down to it……" Cassidy wanted to know "It would only be for a few minutes whilst we could get Claire to safety and you would have as much backup as you wanted."

"The hell she will" Flack hollered "You seriously expect her to offer herself up to Buchannon after what he did last night are you insane? What do you think he intends to do once he gets Stella alone start a bible studies group?"

"Whilst he still is holding my wife hostage Flack" Mac heard himself saying, his heart dying with every word that came from his mouth "Don't you think we need to consider every possible avenue?"

"Mac C'mon you can't honestly believe letting him within a twenty kilometre radius of Stella even for a nanosecond is a good idea" Flack yelled at him "She goes to him she's worse than dead."

"What about Claire?" Mac asked him "What about her life or doesn't she matter?" Was he really arguing with Flack for sending Stella to Buchannon? His gaze locked with her's once more and he felt his heart shatter in two Stella or Claire it was an impossible choice one that he simply couldn't make he loved them both he knew that now and he always would.

"Don't you do that Mac don't you dare put Claire's life above Stella's it's not fair and you know it" Flack sprang angrily from his chair "Of course Claire's life matters but not more than Stella's we will find another way."

"There might not be another way" Mac argued every fibre of his being wanting to grab Stella and run, take her somewhere safe out of Buchannon's reach.

"You lousy son of a bitch……" Flack howled and for the second time in two days lunged at Mac grabbing him in a tight choke hold.

This time Mac didn't bother to shove him away "Go ahead Don do it……" He said quietly "I deserve it."

"I'll go……" Stella's soft voice echoed around the room forcing Flack to let go of Mac "I'll go to Buchannon if it comes to it" She repeated smiling sadly at Mac "I'm an NYPD Officer it's my duty to serve and protect so I'll go to him and I'll get Claire back safely for you Mac" Then she stood up a fled the room before anyone saw the tears trickling down her face.

Here she was again locked inside the ladies room staring into a mirror trying to make herself presentable only this time Chinese food wasn't the problem but red puffy eyes and damp cheeks it had broken Stella's heart seeing Mac hurting so much. That was why she'd agreed to do it switch places with Claire; She'd meant what she'd said about it being her duty as an NYPD Officer to protect Claire but the thought of being anywhere near Buchannon again terrified her and the idea of him touching her made her feel physically sick. Seeing Mac like that hurting so much though, that had ultimately convinced her to do what needed to be done she couldn't let him carry on torturing himself like that not when there was something she could do to help him when he hurt she hurt "Oh god Stella whatever are we going to do" She asked her reflection.

"Stella…..can I come in" Mac politely tapped on the Ladies room door "I need to know your alright."

Stella crossed the room and opened the door "I'm fine Mac……everything's alright" She assured him.

"Not it's not you've been crying you never cry Stel" He reached out to caress away a teardrop from her cheek.

"I ….with everything that is going on I think last night is finally catching up with me" She told him drying her face on her shirt sleeve "That's all."

"Stella you don't have to do this swap with Claire I mean" He told her gently cupping her cheek "Not for me or Claire she would understand and neither of us would ever expect or ask you to."

"Mac I already told you I'm an NYPD Officer its part or my job description nobody needs to ask me to do my job right" She replied.

"What if somebody asked you not to go…….if I asked you not to go" He wondered.

"Are you going to ask me not to go?" She wanted to know.

"Stel I…..I don't want you to get hurt" He admitted "I don't think I could stand to lose you."

"Then we will have to make sure you don't then wont we?" She smiled up at him "You couldn't stand to lose Claire either could you?"

"No" His hand slid slowly away from her cheek "I couldn't….. I'm not letting you out of my sight though Stella if he so much as looks at you funny then I'm coming in after you ....understood?"

"Yes Mac" She nodded "I understand."

"Hey guys…….." One of the Labs techs interrupted them "Butch told me to tell you to get to the comms room ASAP apparently a Catherine Willows is waiting for you."

"Thanks Jimmy" Mac nodded then Stella by his side he made his way to the comms room.

"Hello Catherine this is Detective Stella Bonasera" Mac introduced Stella to the blond woman who's face now filled the Lab's giant video conferencing screen.

"Please to meet you" Stella said.

"Likewise" Catherine replied.

"What do you have for us" Mac asked.

"Grissom and I did some digging around he says to say Hi by the way and this is exactly why he's never married" Catherine told him "Anyway it seems Stockton and Buchannon not only attended the same High School but were best buddies all the way through their old Principal called them the Burke and Hare of swim club apparently there was an incident involving dead rats in the school pool. In the Principals opinion Buchannon was the more dominant half of the partnership Stockton followed his lead especially when he became addicted to illegal narcotics the Principal couldn't prove it but he suspected Buchannon of supplying Stockton with drugs and deliberately getting him hooked. "

"Nice….." Stella shook her head her curls rippling as she did "Stockton picks up the right kind of girl for Buchannon one sure to float his boat in exchange for a regular supply of drugs together they sexually assault them and then Buchannon kills them….. what is it they say about there not being an I in team."

"Buchannon was always a real control freak" Mac agreed.

"Then Buchannon kills his partner why?" Stella wondered out loud.

"You…..He meets you Stel" Mac concluded "He think he's fallen in love and Stockton is in the way of Buchannon winning the hand of his dream girl he said you belonged to him remember?"

"I do" She bit her lip "Unfortunately."

"Oh there is more……." Catherine continued "The Principal suspected that Buchannon was showing early signs of being schizophrenic charming one minute violent the next however his mother Bridget refused to listen to his concerns said boys would be boys, her son was just letting off steam because his father had died when he was ten. Officially Bridget Buchannon's day job was as a Florist but it later transpired that mom had shall we say an unusual way of supplementing her income……"

"Let me guess prostitution" Mac rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Yes ….." Catherine confirmed his hypothesis "She didn't want anyone looking too closely at Buchannon's home life and finding out how she earned her 'disposable income'….Do you want to make it two for two Mac and guess how she let her son know when she had a 'guest' over so he could make himself scarce."

"Does it involve shoes by any chance" Mac asked.

"Got it in one" Catherine smiled "She would leave her left shoe out on the porch for him I suppose it makes a change from a red lamp. We tracked Bridget down to a nursing home outside of Orange County she died last January from an Aids related illness."

"Right before the Rose murders started" Stella pointed out "Her death must have been the trigger."

"What about the woman in the picture do we have any ID on her yet?" Mac wanted to know.

"She was Buchannon's wife Beth they married straight out of high school but they were only together for three years before she died in what was thought at the time to be a car jacking gone wrong. Her body was found dumped along Boulder highway she'd been beaten to death we are re-opening the case nobody suspected Buchannon of any wrong doing at the time because he was a LVPD patrol man" Catherine told them "I'm sending everything we have to you via courier but it may take some time to get there."

"Thank you Catherine" Mac told her.

"Your welcome Mac" Catherine assured him "I hope it helps you get Claire back safe."

"Me too" Mac nodded watching Catherine's face fade from the screen "Me too."

"Mac come quick" Aiden burst into the room "Its Buchannon he's e-mailed you……."

Stella and Mac followed Aiden to her computer terminal "Butch had me monitoring all communications look" She said tapping a few keys on her keyboard to open up Buchannon's message to Mac.

A picture of Claire looking terrified appeared underneath that was one line of dialogue "Bring my Stella to Grand Central Station 30 mins South entrance" Mac red out loud.

"He's not leaving us much time" Stella shook her head "At this time of day getting through the traffic alone could take that long."

"I think that's the whole idea" Aiden told her "Throw us off our game."

"Unfortunately everything we can think of so can he" Mac agreed.

Mac and the team arrived at Grand Central Station with six minutes to spare Butch had already called ahead and explained everything to the Station's Manager to save valuable time so they went straight into his office "Ok people take your places" Mac ordered the assembled group "We have very little time and we must get this right first time we can't afford any mistakes."

Whilst Mac spoke with the Manager Flack gently touched Stella's elbow "Can I speak with you outside for a moment Stel please?" He asked quietly.

Nodding her agreement Stella followed him outside into the corridor "Stella please don't do this it's too risky" Flack begged.

"I know what's at stake Flack…..it's a huge risk yes but one as a NYPD Officer I'm duty bound to take" She insisted.

"Don't give me that honour crap we both know how you feel about Mac and I know that's why your doing this but he doesn't care about you if he did he would never let you go through with it all he cares about is Claire" Flack argued desperately.

"I'm going Flack I know what needs to be done" Stella retorted "Doesn't matter if its Claire he wants or me I just want him to be happy and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he is."

"He's going back to Chicago with Claire he told me so last night he's just using you" Flack found himself lying again "He's not even got the guts to tell you himself ask Butch if you don't believe me."

"I'm going Flack" Stella replied flatly all the stuffing knocked out of her with Flack's admission but it left her no less determined if it was Claire that Mac wanted then Claire is what he would get no matter what.

"Everything alright out here" Mac asked leaving the Managers office "We good to go?"

"We are aren't we Flack?" Stella asked pointedly.

"If you say so" He grumbled.

Two minutes later Mac and Stella were waiting by the south entrance "One minute to go" Mac checked his watch "Stel…there is still time to change your mind I……"

"No" Stella said firmly "Absolutely not……but if anything goes wrong……"

"Over my dead body" Mac snarled.

"Mac I just need you to know that whatever happens today or years from now when all this is long over I've no regrets I am so glad that I've met you. These past few months have been the happiest of my life and I wouldn't change one moment of our time together" She blushed "Not for anything."

"Don't even think like that Stel this is not the time for you to say your goodbyes" Mac was adamant.

"You're my best friend Mac…..you always will be" Stella continued.

"I know….best friends always" Mac nodded his approval "Nothing can or will ever change that."

"I feel as if we should pinkly swear or something" She teased.

"Ok just for you" He grinned and stretched his hand out to cover hers then entwining his fingers with hers he said "Best friends always."

"Best friends always" Stella squeezed his hands as tightly as she could in return.

"Stella Bonasera to the reservations desk please. Stella Bonasera to the reservations desk please….." The message blared out over the Stations Tannoy system "Stella Bonasera to the reservation desk please."

"I think their playing my tune" Stella sighed.

"Son off a bitch" Mac muttered under his breath.

Together the two detectives made their way over to the reservation desk "I'm Stella Bonasera" Stella showed her badge to identify herself.

"This is for you" The clerk a plump blond woman with Pauline on her name badge handed her an envelope "You need to hurry Miss Bonasera your train leaves in two minutes and the gentleman was most insistent you must not miss it….emphatically so."

Quickly Stella opened the envelope and examined its contents "I'm to take the train waiting on platform one and get off when he contacts me; once I reach my destination he'll tell you where Claire is" Stella explained "I'm to give you this to remind you of your obligations" She handed him a diamond wedding band.

"It's Claire's" Mac swallowed hard.

"I have to go….." Stella told him.

"No way in hell you're getting on that train" Mac roared "I wont allow it I'm not letting you take that chance if you should be hurt……."

Shaking her head Stella cupped his face and kissed him tenderly on his left cheek "Trust in me Mac….I know what I'm doing I know about Chicago Flack told me…..All I want is for you and Claire to be happy together for you to be happy ……Best friends always remember?" Then before he could react she had sprinted off towards platform one.

"Stella no……"Mac dashed off after her but she'd climbed onboard the train before he could get there; the train then blew it's whistle and began to pull away "No Stella please don't do this" Mac frantically hammered on the train's window trying to attract her attention "I don't want to go to Chicago…..I love you."

"What the hell is going on?" Flack demanded to know catching up with Mac.

"Stella….. She's on that train" Mac hung his head in despair. "Buchannon's taken her."

"You promised her Mac…..said you would never let him near her again" Flack deliberately chose to forget what he'd just heard Mac admit "You promised her."

Stella was almost twenty minutes into her mystery tour and still no contact from Buchannon she checked both her watch and cell phone repeatedly "What are you waiting for Buchannon you bastard" She muttered under her breath. The train it had turned out was a limited stop express stop service meaning it was impossible for Mac to send backup and he could not follow in a car; the NYPD's Helicopter was a possibility but it would take time to get airborne so for all intents and purposes she would have to face Buchannon alone at least for now. Another ten minutes flew past and Stella's frustration grew standing briefly she almost pulled the window of its hinges trying to open it.

"Temper, temper my sweet that's rail company property you break it you bought it……"Buchannon chuckled from the seat behind her.

"Buchannon!" Stella yelped, swivelling round to face him "Where the hell is Claire Taylor I've done what you wanted now let her go!" He looked different she realized; he'd died his hair from it's usual distinctive red to a charcoal colour and he was wearing sunglasses and had a baseball cap pulled low over his face which explained how he'd gotten into the Station and on to the train without anyone noticing.

"All in good time we are not done here yet…. take 'em off and toss them through the window" He folded his arms "Then I'll think about it."

"Take what off" She asked coyly.

"The wire your undoubtedly wearing, your cell phone, your gun and any other goodies you might have tucked about your body" He chortled "Unless you want me to come over there a do it for you of course….I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"That won't be necessary" Stella complied and hurled her equipment out through the train window; the thought of him touching her made her skin crawl "Now what?"

"We have five minutes till we reach our stop and we can't have you wandering around dressed like that it might attract too much unwanted attention by now your description is being circulated to every Cop in New York state so I have a gift for you" He thrust a duffel bag into her hands "Ladies restroom is that way" He nodded to his right "Be quick."

"What if I say no" Stella asked.

"You wont….four minutes thirty five seconds and counting I'll give you three minutes then I'm coming in there after you" He licked his lips in anticipation "I'd enjoy that."

Grudgingly Stella took the bag and entered the Ladies rest room locking the door behind her; opening the bag she found a faded pair of blue jeans, a red checked shirt, string to tie her hair back she assumed and a baseball cap identical to the one Buchannon had been wearing. Hurriedly she changed and stuffed her own clothes into the bag then using the emergency lipstick she kept inside her jacket pocket she wrote for the attention of Detective Mac Taylor NYPD Crime Lab on a paper towel then stuffed it into the bag.

"Times up" Buchannon rattled the door "Either you come out or I'm coming in."

"I'm coming" Stella unlocked the door and walked out deliberately leaving the bag behind.

"Were here" Buchannon gleefully announced as the train slowly stopped "Time to go" Then he scooped Stella up bridegroom style "Honeymooners" He assured an astonished elderly pair of onlookers then he carried Stella off the train.

"Buchannon what the hell are you doing" Stella tried to struggle.

"Making sure you don't do anything we'll both regret" He told her calmly walking through the station "In fact…." Buchannon tried to kiss her on the lips but Stella was quicker and bit down hard on his lips drawing blood.

"That's alright fight me you know that's how I like it" He sneered; walking onwards Buchannon crossed the Station's parking lot and took her to a beat up white van kicking the back door open with his foot he dropped Stella on to a filthy mattress lying on the floor inside. Taking in her surroundings Stella realized with a sinking feeling she was not the first woman to be brought here by Buchannon at least that solved one mystery now she knew how Buchannon transported his victims both alive and dead.

"Handcuffs use 'em" He nodded to a set that had been welded firmly to one of the vans walls.

"No" Stella flatly refused "I want to know where Claire Taylor is or have you already killed her?"

"You know you really have got the wrong idea about me Taylor's been poisoning your mind I suppose" Buchannon sniffed "I'm not such a bad guy really you'll see….." He flipped open his cell phone and dialled a number Mac's number she realized "Listen" He pressed the phone to Stella's ear.

"Taylor" Mac answered.

"Mac" Stella was overjoyed to hear his voice.

"Stel….Is that you? Just hold on I'm coming for you" Mac begged "I wont let him hurt you I promise."

"Aw sweet ……tell her Taylor tell Stella about Claire or I've no use for her and she's dead" Buchannon barked.

"We found her five minutes ago Buchannon called and told us he'd left her tied up in the trunk of her car in her packing space at work I'm with her now….." Mac assured Stella "Claire's a little shaken but unharmed."

"I'm glad Mac…..I'm so glad" Stella smiled in relief.

"See my sweet I'd never lie to you" Buchannon assured Stella "Never have….never will."

"Buchannon I swear if you even touch her….."Mac bellowed down the cell phone.

"This is getting so predictable" Buchannon complained and slammed the phone shut then he tossed it away "Now where were we? Oh yes handcuffs."

Obediently Stella slipped the cuff around her wrist and pressed it shut "Good girl I knew you would see sense eventually" Buchannon beamed "Everything will be perfect you'll see Taylor's got his wife back and you've got me….we'll be so happy Beth you'll see this time I'll make everything right I love you so much honey."

Buchannon slammed the van's door shut and Stella felt the engine begin to stir into life; where was he taking her now she wondered….he'd called her Beth his late wife's name that couldn't possibly be a good thing could it?

**May 2009**

"You're sure…sure that this Wild Rose, this mad man has taken my Stella….."Brandon questioned Mac "Maybe it's a misunderstanding and she's got a last minute dress fitting or something."

For the last five minutes Mac had been with Brandon in his office trying to explain the situation to Stella's would be bride groom giving him an abridged version of both his and Stella's history with Ray Buchannon.

"I'm sure that she's in terrible danger but whether Buchannon is behind this your guess is as good as mine" Mac told him.

"You still think we could be dealing with a copy cat" Brandon asked hopefully.

"The mix up with Megan Edwards' missing shoe still bothers me something doesn't feel right…." Mac admitted "Buchannon didn't make mistakes like that he was too smart.

"Then there is a chance my Stella is still alive then?" Brandon wanted to know.

"Buchannon thought he was in love with her, believed she was his wife somehow reincarnated that's partially why he abducted Stella in the first place he had some insane idea of playing happy families with her" Mac explained "Copycat or not that gives me every reason to believe Stella will be kept alive at least for the time being so this Rose whoever that is can continue to act out Buchannon's sick fantasy."

"You where the other reason weren't you?" Brandon asked, carefully choosing his words "He knew how you felt…. still feel about Stella and he wanted revenge. I'm not stupid Detective Taylor I've heard the rumours about you and Stella……I've seen the way you look at her your in love with her too aren't you?"

"I'd being lying if I said no" Mac admitted.

"I'm the man that Stella will be marrying tomorrow that's all I care about" Brandon declared calmly "But consider yourself my new best friend because I'm not leaving your side till the woman we both love is found safe and sound is that understood Detective Taylor."

"Clearly" Mac replied under other circumstances he could have actually considered Brandon a friend but when they found Stella there was no damn way Mac was going to give up and let him marry her none at all.

"Mac where the hell have you been?" Sinclair marched into his office "You've heard about Detective Bonasera's disappearance I assume."

"I have Sir I want to get the team turning the City upside down looking for her but you have ordered them to remain in the conference room may I ask why Sir?" Mac spoke up.

"To preserve the integrity of the Lab and the NYPD I can't take the chance that there is a turncoat in our midst" Sinclair replied "Detective Bonasera is more than likely dead by now the best we can do is bring her killer or killers to justice to do that I need to know who I can trust."

"Sir you can't possibly know that for sure I'm begging you to suspend your investigation until we know for certain what has happened to Stella…..you can have my resignation right now if that's what it takes I really don't care, all I ask is that you allow me and my team do what we do best and find her" Mac pleaded.

"I should also point out my cousin Charlie works for the New York Times and Chief of Detectives abandons decorated Officer to save his own ass would sell a whole lot of newspapers" Brandon chipped in "And oh yeah I don't work for you."

"Who the hell are you?" Sinclair demanded to know.

"Stella's husband to be" Brandon informed him "That alright with you?"

"Twenty four hours that's all you're getting Detective Taylor" Sinclair growled and stomped out of Mac's office.

"Does you cousin really work for the New York times?" Mac wondered briefly.

"Somebody's got to be janitor there haven't they?" Brandon grinned "So lets get started the sooner we find Stella the better."

"Absolutely" Mac agreed adding to himself silently I will find my Stella depend on it just as soon as I can get rid of you.

"As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die…." The red headed young woman sang happily to herself whilst she finished checking on the cast iron shackles around Stella Bonasera's wrists and ankles which secured the curly haired Detective to a concrete post in the centre of the windowless basement room she'd been forced into; "There that ought to do it…." Alex gave the thick metal chain a tug "Yes that's more than adequate to do the job."

"What do you want from me Alex? Stella asked "Why did you bring me here?"

"I told you Stel I've come to take you home …." Alex replied "Can we talk…..did you know that is Daddy's favourite song……I can still remember the first time he heard it I was ten years old and we were driving home from soccer practice when it came over the radio the next day he went out and bought the tape. Daddy said it was as if someone had put his life story to music after that he would play it for hours and hours all day and night."

"I barely knew your father Alex you must know that…..besides if all you want is to talk what are these for" Stella asked rattling her chains.

"Are you comfortable enough Stel? Would you like some more pillows Daddy wouldn't want you to be unnecessarily uncomfortable he cares about you so much and so do I. It is alright to call you Stel isn't it? I know your friends do sometimes and I think it's fair to say we are on friendly terms aren't we? After all I suppose you could argue that we are almost family." Alex paused for a moment, thoughtfully prodding the pile of cushions on the floor that Stella was sitting on with her foot

"At this point that's not how I'd describe our relationship no" Stella replied quietly "He was ill Alex your father was ill and I think your ill too if you'd let me I would like to help you."

"I don't need any help thank you Stel" Alex snapped "I know a blanket! You must be cold I'll go get you a blanket….." Alex giggled like an excited child "I won't be long" then she left the small room locking the door behind her.

Standing up Stella took stock of her situation; apart from the pillows and a light dangling above her head the room was bare and as Alex had pointed out the chains binding her arms and ankles held secure so however much Stella pulled them; the post they were attached to had been firmly embedded into the concrete floor and could not be moved. "Basically Stella we are in a concrete box with only one exit" She sighed to herself eying the door Alex had used earlier. The door like the shackles was made of iron so somehow she had to undo the metal bands around her writs and ankles, get the door open and if by some miracle she managed that overpower Alex "No pressure there then Stella" She muttered sitting back down. Her fingers brushed against the soft pillows underneath her briefly; "Blankets, pillows…..keep me comfortable and please her daddy…..hmm?" Stella pondered to herself even her chains gave her freedom to stand and walk about within reason she realized, maybe she could use Alex's need to make her comfortable to her advantage somehow it was a long shot Stella knew but a shot in the dark was better than none she mused.

"I'm back Stel" Alex called out cheerfully re-entering the room carrying a stack of neatly folded blankets "See I said I wouldn't be long I wasn't sure which blanket you would like though so I brought them all."

"Thank you Alex" Stella smiled politely "That's very kind of you…….I was thinking about what you said earlier about us being almost family……."

"And?" Alex asked wrapping a blanket around Stella's shoulders.

"Well I've never had a family before……" Stella began.

"Yes I know your parents died when you were young just like me" Alex nodded understandingly.

"That's right just like you" confirmed Stella.

"You've got us now though haven't you?" Alex beamed.

"Yes I have haven't I" Stella agreed.

"You don't have to worry about being alone anymore Stel I'm going to take care of you now just like daddy promised you he would till he comes for us" Alex happily chattered.

"Comes for us? Alex is that why you brought me here to wait for your daddy to come" Understanding filled Stella's brain, she was starting to get somewhere with Alex at long last.

"Yes of course I did so we can be a proper family again like he promised us you know he always keeps his promises" Alex shook her head "Don't you Stel?"

"I do" Stella agreed to appease her captor "So I was thinking we should get to know each other a little better then shouldn't we."

"I'd like that" Alex nodded.

.

"Coffee…..I'm thirsty and a little hungry too I missed lunch today maybe we could have a meal together and talk" Stella suggested innocently.

"I'll fix us a sandwich" Alex chortled gleefully "….And coffee lots of coffee ….. I've got cake too chocolate cake…..You do like chocolate cake don't you Stel please say you do."

"Do cats miaow?" Stella grinned.

"I'm on it" Alex jabbered happily and dashed out of the little room this time forgetting to lock the door behind her.

"Well looks like the first phase of operation if you can't beat 'em, join 'em then beat 'em was a complete success" Stella smiled thinly to herself staring at the open door "Lets see where this road can take us Stella, not only do we need to get out of here but now we need to find out is this is all in Alex's head or is Ray Buchannon still alive?"

**A/N: Nearly there folks all feedback greatly appreciated. Congratulations to everyone who has been doing such a superb job keeping the ratings for CSI: NY down recently even though this weeks ratings rose slightly it still tied with SVU for the 18-49 demographic so I'm appealing to you all to ignore the scare tactics TPTB are using with the rumours about changes that are circulating the net and carry on with the boycott. It's the big one next week the episode due to air next on the 19th may is episode 22 the one where she devil mark2 is set to return so those ratings need to plummet if TPTB want feedback then I say give them exactly what they have asked for:-**

**NO PEYTON PERIOD!**

**NO AUBREY PERIOD!**

**OR NO AUDIENCE PERIOD!**

**For those of us who aren't sure about boycotting just think about it do you really want this storyline carrying over to season 7? Do you particularly want to watch CSI: NY next time out if either Peyton or Aubrey still remain in it? I suspect for the majority of people the answer is a resounding NO! I should also point out if there is any chance of CSI:NY surviving beyond season7 then TPTB need to be made to listen to what we want now before CSI:NY finds itself occupying some grave yard slot on a Friday night next spring A.K.A The kiss of death slot. Even if you haven't done so before this is the one episode you need to Boycott lets show TPTB where exactly they can shove this triangle storyline that we will no longer be short changed when it comes to Smacked. So please do what you can to help keep the ratings low the closer we can come to SVU closing the gap between the two shows the louder our message becomes WE WANT SMACKED AND ONLY SMACKED! NOTHING ELSE WILL DO! SOS SAVE OUR SMACKED!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is a long one I'm afraid folks and not always particularly pleasant for Stella sorry! After last weeks little bombshell though I thought perhaps this might cheer a few of us heartsick Smacked types up. Personally the whole thing leaves a really bad taste in my mouth but remember where there is life there is always hope so to paraphrase a saying popular in WW11 Britain keep calm and carry on, the Smacked flame is still burning just as brightly as it ever did.**

**New York August 2001**

"Call duration not long enough to trace caller's whereabouts… damn it all to hell" Mac Taylor swore out loud and threw his cell phone so hard it actually bounced off the parking garage's wall and back again; the place was filled to bursting point with Cops, Csis and Paramedics all going about their assigned tasks whilst he was left standing there feeling useless, unable to do anything to help Stella at all.

"It all over for you now Mac Claire needs you with her son …go be with your wife leave the rest up to us" Cassidy had ordered him but Mac couldn't do it, he couldn't leave Stella at the mercy of Buchannon whilst he and Claire rode off into the sunset happily ever after he felt as if he was slowly dying inside without her.

Claire was currently sitting on the back step of an ambulance whilst a paramedic named Christine ran some basic medical checks on her but as he'd told Stella apart from a few bruises and of course being in shock Claire was largely unharmed.

"That was him I take it Ray Buchannon" Claire Taylor asked her husband as he stooped to retrieve what was left of his cell phone from the floor "He has her doesn't he? He has Stella."

"Yes" Mac choked out a reply as he stood "He does ….I'm so sorry Claire but I have to go…..I need to find her….."

"It's ok Mac I understand when this is all over we'll talk just you and me we can figure everything out" Claire assured him "Go on go after her you would never forgive yourself or me if you didn't would you?"

"Thank you Claire you know how much I love you don't you?" He whispered reaching out to caress her cheek.

"I do" She nodded "Will you do something for me Mac? When…..if you find Stella can you thank her for me for taking my place and tell her that I'm sorry I think I might have misjudged her."

"You can tell her yourself" Mac insisted kissing his wife's lips "Now I've gotta go" he dashed off towards his SVU.

"Oh Mac whatever will we do? Alive or dead Stella has changed everything between us now and always hasn't she?" Claire mournfully whispered to herself watching Mac drive off.

Lying in the back of Buchannon's van Stella tried her hardest to memorize every detail of their journey, to remember every bump in the road and every corner Buchannon drove around any little piece of information might prove to be vital the difference between life and death for her. Finally the van juddered to a stop how long had they been driving she wondered ten minutes, twenty Stella couldn't be sure; Stella heard Buchannon open the van door and walk around to the back "I love you Mac" She whispered to herself sick to the stomach at the thought of what was to come as Buchannon opened up.

"Honey we're home" Buchannon cheerfully announced jumping up into the van besides her.

"Where exactly is home?" Stella asked trying to disguise her fear as best she could.

"Our special place just like I promised you everything's ready for us just the way you always said you wanted it to be I even managed to get you that damn antique pine dresser you loved so much for the kitchen" He chuckled to himself undoing the handcuffs "Had a devil of a time though the stupid old witch wouldn't part with it but when I explained it was for my lovely wife she finally came around to seeing my point of view."

"Did you kill her?" Stella asked bluntly rubbing her wrist now it was free.

"Nothing is too good for my girls" He shrugged jumping back out of the van.

"Girls?" Stella asked confused.

"You and Lexi of course; she's so excited that her mommy is coming home can't wait to see you" Buchannon beamed proudly "She's gotten so big you wont recognize her and get this she's the star striker of her school soccer team just like her mommy always was."

Oh god no! Stella groaned silently to herself just when it seemed that her situation couldn't possibly get any worse it had dive bombed to a whole new unprecedented depth…a kid was involved in this too? "Where is she Buchannon? Where is Lexi?" Stella demanded to know scrambling out of the van after him "I swear if any harm has come to that child….."

"She's still with your dumb ass sister; Katie is taking care of her till I get things sorted this end …. You know I'd never let anyone hurt our princess ever" He sighed wearily "You really got to stop jumping to conclusions…that's why I was so mad at you last time now your home again I want everything to be perfect no more arguments besides I kinda promised Lexi we would make her some little brothers and sisters."

"Buchannon I hope you take this in the spirit it's meant" Stella told him, and then lifting her leg she rammed her knee as hard as she could into his family jewels.

"Shi…" He howled doubling over in pain.

Not really knowing what direction to go in Stella shot off; anywhere away form Buchannon was just fine by her right now. She seemed to be running downhill Stella realised through overgrown shrubbery and rosebushes that scratched her arms and snagged her curls. To add to her troubles night was falling too; the perfect baby blue sky of a New York summers day had already turned to a rosy pink glow heralding the setting of the sun but still she continued to run not wanting to even think about the alternative. Her legs felt as if they would collapse under her any second now and her heart beat so fast inside her chest she wondered how it didn't burst through her rib cage; panting heavily she started to slow down a little as she headed towards a small copse of crab apple trees. Checking behind herself she was pleased to find Buchannon was nowhere in sight "Thank you" She prayed to anyone who might be listening then slowing to a walking pace she entered the group of trees on the other side she could see something glinting ….street lighting! If she could see street lights turning on as darkness fell then she had to be near a road or perhaps a highway even must be. Carrying on downwards she followed the lights till she was almost close enough to touch them …..Almost in her way stood a red brick wall topped off with a row of iron palings with cruel looking spiked tops. They had once been bottle green in colour but the paint was peeling of them badly, guessing she thought the wall and palings combined must be at least six feet tall and no gates or gaps in sight.

"No" Stella groaned in despair "Please no!"

Clammy hands grabbed a fist full of her curls yanking her head back "You know my sweet that really wasn't very nice…" Buchannon's voiced hissed into her left ear "I see I still need to discipline my wife" He smiled thinly and punched Stella in the face so hard he knocked her to the ground then he rammed his boot full force into the prone woman's midriff "Your home now Beth and you will stay here with me always."

Mac made it back to the Lab in record time; every person he walked by seemed to stare opened mouthed at him but he paid them no attention he had to focus on Stella she was relying on him and nothing else mattered to Mac but her safe return; hell Butch was welcome to fire his ass if he wanted to just as long as Mac found Stella he really didn't care. "Talk to me Aiden what do we have to go on" He asked his startled colleague as he entered Trace "And yes I know I shouldn't be here but Claire understands you got any objections?"

"Not from me boss and we got plenty a woman travelling on the train Stella vanished from handed those to the transport police. I found three sets of prints Stella's, Buchannon's and the passenger's on the bag but only Stella's on the clothes" Aiden indicated to a duffel bag and its contents which had been spread out on an illuminated table for careful forensic examination.

"Those are Stella's clothes" Mac recognized the clothing immediately "The bastard must have made her change clothes on the train."

"This was with them" Aiden held up an evidence bag containing a paper towel for him to see "It's addressed to you and it has Stella's prints all over it."

"Stella's handwriting too I'm sure of it" Mac nodded reading the note "She is trying to help me."

"That's our Bonasera thinking like a Csi first, last and always" Aiden agreed.

"When did the passenger say she had found Stella's things" Mac asked.

"Two minutes after the train had left Cutler's Peak the second station on its route" Aiden replied "At approximately 8.15 pm but she had to wait another thirty minutes before she could report it add another twenty for the Helicopter guys to go pick it up and bring it back here."

"That gives us a timeline though" Mac grabbed a marker and began to scribble on a white board "Buchannon called me at 8.08pm and again at 8:13 when Stella was definitely alone with him the passenger found Stella's clothes at 8.15 …do we have a timetable for this train?"

"We do" Aiden confirmed producing the schedule from a pile of documents on her desk "It was running to time no delays or hold ups reported."

"Aiden can you pull up a map of the train's route and surrounding area we need to make a comparison" Mac asked.

"Way ahead of you Mac" Aiden pressed several keys on her computer's keyboard causing a giant computer monitor on the wall behind her to spring into life.

"Ok here's Cutler's Peak the train should have arrived at 8:11pm" Mac pointed to the map "Stella would have been on the train roughly fifty minutes by that time which ties in with the second phone call because Buchannon said he'd release Claire once Stella had reached her destination."

"Cutler's Peak" Aiden agreed "But where did he take her after that."

"What do we know about Cutler's Peak" Mac asked.

"It's just your average small town in the middle of the boondocks" Aiden shrugged "In its prime its main source of income was the local coal mine nowadays it's tourism you know the kind of thing hunting parties, hikers, camping the whole great outdoors on your doorstep idea."

"I got a message for you Mac" Don Flack burst into the room "Some guy from Las Vegas Gristle…"

"Grissom…..Gil Grissom" Mac corrected him.

"Whatever….. he was trying to get a message to you apparently they managed to track down Buchannon's daddy Ray Snr" Flack told him "He's here in New York as been all along lives in the middle of nowhere someplace called…."

"Cutler's Peak" Mac and Aiden chorused.

"Ok so I'm really missing something here aren't I?" Flack declared.

"Cutler's Peak is where we think Buchannon took Stella off the train" Aiden explained to Flack pointing to the table covered in clothes "See…Stella left us a clue."

"Atta girl Stel" Flack grinned.

"Do we have an address for Buchannon's old man?" Mac wanted to know.

"We do" Flack confirmed "I've already contacted the local Sheriff he's rounding up Ray Snr as we speak."

"Then I'm going to Cutler's Peak" Mac told them both walking towards the Lab's exit "If she's there I will find her."

"No we will find her" Flack insisted following him out of the Lab "I'm not the one who abandoned her to Buchannon in the first place am I? So I'm not going to now; Stella never should have been allowed to swap places with Claire."

"Don't you think I know that Don? Don't you think if I could turn back the clock and change this I would do …."Mac told him angrily "I know how hard all this is for you….I know much you care about Stella but you're not the only one who loves her."

"Don't Mac just don't ….. Don't you dare pretend you care about Stella you've got what you wanted all along Claire is safe isn't she? I'll be a good little Police Officer and tow the party line till we find Stella, call a truce for her sake but that's all is that understood?" Flack growled "I don't want to hear your excuses or your damn apologies…If anything happens to her, if Buchannon harms her in anyway at all then I swear to god Mac I'll shoot you."

"I'll give you the gun myself" Mac replied honestly "I wouldn't want to live anyway …..Truce?"

"Truce" Flack reluctantly agreed.

Stella couldn't decide which ached the most after Buchannon's assault her face or her abdomen a fifty-fifty split probably; it had all been pretty much a blur of pain and fear since then anyhow. Buchannon had carried her again Stella recalled that much; he'd brought her here where ever here was. She remembered vaguely seeing a log cabin of some sort with a red door but after that everything had gone black till she had woken up here lying on a bed in the pitch dark aching in both body and spirit "Where are you Mac….I need you" She murmured to herself. Apprehensively she tried to touch her face with her right hand but found that she couldn't move it any higher than her stomach she'd been handcuffed to the bed she realized "Your not taking any chances are you Buchannon" She muttered. Using her left hand this time Stella reached out and examined her face nothing felt broken but the coppery smell of blood filled her nostrils, she had swollen lips and her guess would be one hell of a black eye. Buchannon had removed her shoes she realized, fear filled every fibre of her being what else had he done? He was capable of absolutely anything. Gingerly moving her free hand downwards she felt the rough material of the shirt Buchannon had forced her to wear and lower still the jeans both still intact, a feeling of pure relief flooded her body as far as she could tell Buchannon hadn't decided to pickup from where he'd left off the night before she was almost certain that there had been no sexual assault at least not yet. Moving her hand upwards once more she managed to unbutton the shirt aways and very gently she began to examine the area Buchannon had kicked. Unless she was very much mistaken she had cracked ribs at the very least and probably another world beating bruise; clenching her teeth together Stella managed to manoeuvre herself into a sitting position but not before letting out an involuntary gasp of pain.

Daylight suddenly filled the room causing Stella's eyes to sting "Good your awake at last" Buchannon appeared standing in the room's newly opened doorway.

"Where am I Buchannon? How long have I been here?" Stella put her hand up to shield her eyes from the unexpected onslaught of light wincing as the palm of her hand made accidental contact with her battered cheek.

"Your home remember Beth?" He replied "It's a beautiful summer morning too you're going to love it here all that fresh air and flowers ….roses Beth remember how much you loved the wild roses? I'm gonna take you back to your perfect spot later. Look at the state of you though …." His eyes roamed over every inch of Stella's battered body making her shiver with disgust "First I'm going to fix this make everything better I'll be right back" He told her, locking the door behind him.

Two minutes later he reappeared with an assortment of objects in his possession; he had what looked like a bowl of clean water and a sponge in his hands, a towel slung across his shoulders that made him look bizarrely like a bartender to Stella and tucked under his arm a first aid box.

"Let's get you cleaned up shall we?" He asked placing his collection down onto a small table next to the bed.

"Don't you dare touch me Buchannon" Stella yelled trying to kick out at him.

"Please don't you'll only hurt yourself…." He took a step back "I know this is all my fault …I rushed things between us the other night after we've been apart so long you need time to readjust I understand that now and I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you Beth. I just want to take care of you now for always….. you and Lexi is all. I can wait to ….. Well you know till you ready to….. I swear I wont do anything you don't want me too."

"Buchannon I know you're a smart guy I do so do the smart thing and just let me go" Stella pleaded "I'll never be ready."

"You'll see….." He picked up the sponge and dunked it into the bowl "I'm going to be the perfect husband from now on …everything will be perfect."

"You're not my husband" Stella pointed out.

"I am….Taylor and the others they turned you against me, made you forget about us Lexi and me; but that first time I saw you I knew the miracle I'd prayed for had happened and you'd come back to me after all this time" Gently he bathed Stella's bruised lips "I'm going to make you love me again Beth I promise."

Her lips stung causing Stella to wince again at the contact he'd put some kind of antiseptic in the water she guessed "I'm so sorry baby this will all be over soon" He cooed sympathetically, moving the sponge upwards to cleanse her face of the dried blood coating it.

"There that's better you look like my Beth again" Buchannon finished what he was doing and using the towel began to dry her face.

"For god's sake Buchannon I'm not your Beth I'm not your anything" Stella lashed out at him with her free hand.

"Yes you are….." Buchannon gripped a hold of her wrist so tight Stella thought he might break it but he brought the fist up to his lips and kissed it "No….. I'm not going to get mad with you this time not like earlier I know it's not your fault that your saying those things it's Taylor's and I know in time you will come round I just need to be patient I wont make the same mistake twice."

"My name is Stella Bonasera say it Buchannon say my name" Stella insisted.

"Your name is Elizabeth Alexandra Buchannon you are my wife and Lexi's mommy and we love you" He was adamant "Your not well Taylor has brainwashed you."

"Buchannon there is nothing wrong with me" Stella yelled at him "It's you that needs help… badly."

Calmly he Opened the first aid box and pulled out a jar of white cream "I brought you something for your bruises Arnica my mom always swore by it she would use it on herself when one of my 'Uncles' got too handy with his fists." Unscrewing the jar he scooped out a handful of its contents which he began to rub on Stella's bruised abdomen "There that should feel a little better" He soothed "I'll make everything better."

**New York May 2009**

"Give me something to go on…anything" Mac ordered his team; after he'd sprung them so to speak from Sinclair's improvised prison cell the Lab had become a hive of activity. Every square milometer of the crime scene Stella had attended earlier had been re-examined with several fine toothed combs; Mac himself had spent the past several hours pouring over the dummy and shoe recovered by his team for any sort of trace and was waiting for the results of the tests he'd run, with the ever present Brandon true to his word never far from his side

"Apartment number 1510…wasn't that Ray Buchannon's badge number" Brandon had asked at one point.

"Yeah somebody definitely has a macabre sense of humour" Flack had confirmed.

Flack had then been dispatched to the dummy's manufacturers to find out who had bought it and how they had paid. Danny and Lindsay had been sent back to the Bronx to search the entire apartment block again along with Angell who was doing her best to locate any witnesses that might still remain in the almost deserted area. Adam and Hawkes were trying to track down the location that the Lab's security & communication systems had been hacked from. Several hours had past and Mac had decided it was time to call a conference back at the Lab and collate all the data he and his team had collected together.

"Ok we are on a clock here people" Mac told his team "Sinclair is breathing down all our necks and there is no way I'm about to give up on Stella not now not ever."

"The dummy was purchased by a Boy Scout group six months ago" Flack began "I checked with the Scout Master and he insists their storage locker was broken into two months ago the dummy was the only thing taken but and it gets better the community centre they use also houses a drop in centre for sex workers three evenings a week somewhere they can get clean needles that kind of thing so I showed a photo of Megan Edwards around to some of the volunteers it turns out our girl is a regular user of the service and the place is a ten minute walk from the apartment block Stella was called out to."

"That makes sense" Danny nodded "We found specks of dried blood in between the floorboards of the apartment DNA matched it to Megan Edwards."

"Which would suggest our killer lured Megan there from the drop in centre and killed her" Lindsay carried on "She knew him or her must have done she trusted this person enough to go with them."

"Somebody she would expect to see at the centre a volunteer possibly….did you show Buchannon's picture to the people there Don?" Mac wanted to know.

"I did but nobody recognized him" Flack replied.

"That all ties in with what we found too" Hawkes chimed in "We traced the Hacker's location to an internet café also in the Bronx roughly a mile or so from the apartment block."

"Which would suggest this person knows the area fairly well…..right?" Brandon input.

"It does" Angell told him "I also had some good luck the area was almost empty but I found a homeless man sleeping off one hell of a hangover down the street he didn't have a clear view of the building but he did remember seeing a woman matching Stella's description driving by him in a SVU he said he remembered because he thought she was real pretty and you don't get much pretty down there nowadays. Then he said that a patrol officer had gone past him on foot too just before the pretty lady had, said he remembered it because it seemed strange that she'd not tried to move him on."

"She? A woman? Did he give you a description" Mac quizzed Angell; they were on to something here he could feel it in his bones.

"He said she was kinda young looking to be wearing a NYPD Uniform but cops got younger everyday didn't they; slim build about my height with red hair" Angell repeated her witness's description.

"Red hair like Ray Buchannon" Danny shook his head "That can't be a coincidence."

"No it can't possibly be" Mac agreed a long forgotten memory resurfacing in his mind.

"I checked there is no record of any patrol officer being assigned to that area today" Angell continued her briefing.

"Did he see either of them leave?" Asked Flack.

"No he didn't but to put it in his own words he'd had a few small hot waters by then so an entire herd of elephants could have passed by and he wouldn't have noticed" Angell replied.

"Don you and I are going back to this community centre of yours see if any red headed women are regular volunteer's there or use the service frequently enough to have become friendly with Megan Edwards" Mac decided standing up "Meanwhile Lindsay I want you to try and find anything you can for a Alexandra Buchannon particularly what colour hair she has."

"Buchannon's daughter she'd be all grown up now" Flack concurred "It would explain an awful lot too wouldn't it."

"The rest of you keep digging we are getting closer I'm sure of it" Mac instructed.

"When do we leave?" Asked Brandon.

"We don't" Flack huffed.

"I need you here ….. " Mac lied through his teeth "…For Stella's sake we still don't know for sure the rose is involved in Stella's abduction if a ransom demand is made then obviously since you're her fiancé it will come to you so I want Adam to monitor you at all times any delay could prove disastrous."

"Can't you 'monitor' me?" Brandon fumed.

"You don't want to put Stella's life at even more risk do you? Just so you can play at being Detective" Mac retorted angrily "I though she mattered to you more than that."

"No of course not but….."Brandon began to say.

"Good it's settled then you stay here Flack your with me" Mac strolled out of the conference room.

"Nicely done" Flack chuckled catching up with Mac a few seconds later "Very nicely done."

"Stel I'm back….." Alex called out cheerfully pushing open the little room's door with her foot "…..And I hope you're hungry."

"Starving" Stella replied eyeing the tray Alex was carrying which had been stockpiled with a plate full of sandwiches of several varieties, a huge chocolate cake, cups and a steaming pot of coffee.

"Good" Alex placed the tray at Stella's feet and settled down on one of the cushions "Shall I be mother?" She offered picking up the coffee jug.

"I'm afraid you will have to be" Stella lifted her arms to indicate the chains "In fact I don't think I can feed myself either."

"Oh…..I hadn't thought about that" Alex sounded truly despondent "…I want everything to be perfect for you too."

"Now where have I heard that before" Stella muttered under her breath.

"What?" Alex asked.

"I'll just have to go hungry and thirsty is all" Stella shrugged "Whilst we wait for your father to come home."

"He wouldn't like that….no not at all he'd be angry and you now how he gets when he's angry" Alex sighed.

"Well….I suppose you could….." Stella began coyly.

"You suppose what?" Alex wanted to know.

"No…..it's a dumb idea really….silly Stel" Stella smiled innocently.

"No….please tell me" Alex begged "I want to make everything perfect for you….for us our little family."

"Well you could undo my wrists then I could reach the coffee and the food" Stella suggested helpfully.

"I don't know…." Alex pouted "I don't think daddy would like that."

"Just one wrist then….one couldn't hurt could it?" Stella shrugged.

"Daddy said not to not even one" Alex remained uncertain.

"Like I said silly Stel…." Stella shook her head "I'll just have to be hungry and thirsty is all….."

"Ok, ok I suppose there is nothing to be done is there? I'll undo the cuffs but only one and if there is any funny stuff then it goes back on and remember daddy mustn't know if he finds out then he'll punish us both" Alex reluctantly reached into her faux uniform pants pocket and pulled out a bunch of keys which she then used to unlock the manacle on Stella's right wrist.

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me" Stella assured the younger woman whilst flexing her now free right wrist.

"Coffee now?" Alex enquired.

"Yes that would be lovely thank you Alex" Stella nodded as the red head passed her a steaming mug. Taking a swig of her coffee Stella began "So tell me more about your father's plans Alex how long do we have to wait till he comes home."

"He'll come you don't have to worry" Alex assured her holding out the sandwiches.

"When though? It's been a long time since I've seen him and I'm kinda nervous" Stella placed her coffee down on the floor besides her and picked up a cheese sandwich "I don't want to let him down."

"You wont" Alex selected a roast beef sandwich "He'll be home real soon he's just got stuff to do first; important stuff to make sure everything is perfect for us."

"What kind of stuff Alex?" Stella quizzed her captor, an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach, nothing even remotely connected to Ray Buchannon ever turned out well.

"Just stuff I shouldn't have said anything forget about it" Alex shook her head.

"I can't do that Alex" Stella was growing even more alarmed "Where is Ray? What is he doing? If you don't tell me the truth then I will tell your father how unhappy you have made me by not cooperating and he'll be so angry with you."

"No please don't do that….I….it's just that it's supposed to be a surprise for you" Alex explained "Daddy's sorting things out so that we can be together for always. He's making sure that he can't take you away from us ever again."

"He who?" Stella swallowed hard, fearing she already knew the answer.

"Mac Taylor…..daddy is going to kill Mac Taylor so he can never hurt us again" Alex stated simply "After this evening he'll be dead."

In her fifty-six years on the planet Bertha McIntire had seen it all, done it all and had accumulated enough t-shirts over the years to open her own boutique so she knew perfectly well that when one cop came sniffing around her centre it meant trouble but when two cops came and twice in one day then she could be damn sure nothing short of Armageddon was breaking out.

"Good evening Mrs McIntyre may we ask you a few more questions" The one from earlier Flack was it? Asked.

"Depends now doesn't it?" The African-American woman eyed his companion suspiciously "Who's your friend."

"Detective Mac Taylor" The man with the military bearing introduced himself "I'm a colleague of Detective Flack's and we urgently need to ask you and your team some questions about someone who may volunteer here or use the centre frequently it could save a woman's life."

"Is that so" Bertha remained unconvinced.

"One of our colleagues…..our friends as gone missing we think she's been abducted and that if we don't find her soon then she will be killed" Flack explained "We need your help to save her life."

"You think whoever has taken her is connected to my centre somehow" Bertha asked.

"Yes… we believe that whoever is responsible also killed Megan Edwards she was a regular here wasn't she?" Mac enquired.

"Yes she was….Meg was a good girl" Bertha nodded "Shouldn't have ended up like that but I don't believe anyone here would have harmed her I think you barking up the wrong tree gentlemen this is a confidential service and I'm not about to let you come in here harassing my people without any evidence can you show me any proof that the person your looking for is connected to my centre in anyway at all" Bertha demanded to know.

"There is no direct proof no…." Admitted Flack.

"Do you have a warrant?" Bertha asked.

"No" Mac shook his head.

"Then I think we are done here then don't you?" Bertha turned to leave.

"Please Mrs McIntyre we a looking for a red headed woman, slim build late teens to early twenties does that mean anything to you" Mac grabbed her by the wrist.

"I…I'm sorry I can't help you" Bertha insisted.

"You know who she is don't you" Flack guessed.

"Please help us Mrs McIntyre" Mac begged "The Detective who has gone missing her name is Stella….Stella Bonasera if you ever meet her then you would see how special she is. She is the kindest person I've ever met she'd do anything to help you if your in trouble, she would never judge or condemn you, Stella's brave and funny not to mention unbelievably smart …."

"You care a great deal for her don't you Detective Taylor…" Bertha paused for a moment her resolve beginning to wane slightly.

"Stella's the love of my life only she doesn't know that I was too stupid to tell her and now I'm afraid she'll never know how I feel about her ….. I know I don't deserve it but I want that second chance you see I already lost someone I loved in the 9/11 attacks so I never thought I could feel that way about anybody else ever again ….please I'm begging you to help me….us Mrs McIntyre I don't want to lose Stella too" Mac pleaded again.

"I lost my Joe that day" Bertha sighed sadly "I'd give my own life a million times over for one more moment with him …..Alexandra Brown her name is Alexandra Brown she's been volunteering here Tuesday nights for almost three months I can get you her address."

Flack's car flew along the highway as he drove himself and Mac over to the address Bertha McIntyre had given them "Lindsay I want everything you can find on an Alexandra Brown…." Mac used his cell phone to relay the latest titbit of information back to the Lab as they drove "…..cross reference her with the name Alexandra Buchannon it can't be a coincidence either that she has the same first name as his daughter and I want backup waiting for us but no-one makes a move without my say so is that understood Lindsay" Mac finished and slid his phone shut.

Ten minutes later the two men arrived at Alexandra Brown's apartment to find Angell, Danny and Brandon waiting for them along with what seemed to be every squad car the NYPD had on its books "Everybody loves Stella" Flack shrugged taking in the unpredicted sight.

"That's the problem" Mac muttered under his breath spotting Brandon as they got out of the car to join the group.

"I thought we had a deal here Detective Taylor" Brandon folded his arms across his chest "How come I had to learn of my fiancée's possible whereabouts from a buddy of mine over at the 4th precinct?"

"I'm sorry Mac we tried to stop him" Angell apologized "He just wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Doesn't matter Jess not your fault" Mac assured her.

"You still haven't answered my question Detective Taylor" Brandon moved a little closer to Mac.

"This is not the place for a civilian to be" Mac tried to explain "I know your only trying to look out for Stella but you could end up doing more harm than good…"

"Code for you think that if I'm safely out of the way then you can rescue fair damsel in distress be her knight in shinning Kevlar and then she'll be so grateful she'll drop her panties for you…" Brandon accused him.

"You really are so insecure that you actually believe that's true don't you" Mac shook his head in disgust.

"She's marrying me she doesn't want you live with it Taylor" Brandon seethed "Whatever was between you is now over."

"Stella tell you that did she? She seemed perfectly happy to continue with our 'arrangement' when we shared breakfast last after all we have been partners for many, many years" Mac deliberately baited Brandon.

Brandon's fist was lightening fast as it connected with Mac's cheek causing the ex-Marine to stumble "….And that Brandon my friend is called assaulting a police officer Detective Flack I want this man arrested and then I want him taken downtown and charged, a night in the cells should suffice" Mac grinned gleefully.

"Anything you say Detective Taylor" Flack smirked pulling out his cuffs.

"You son of a….." Brandon howled as Flack cuffed him and beckoned to two uniforms to take him away.

"So endeth the lesson for today on how to get rid of uninvited guests Mac Taylor style" Danny chuckled as the group watched Brandon being literally dragged off screaming and shouting.

"I don't know though Mess that's really gotta sting" Flack eyed Mac's bruised chin.

"Yeah but some things are worth the pain aren't they Mac?" Jess chuckled "Especially if a certain someone is around to kiss it better."

A memory of Stella kissing him tenderly on his cheek the day he'd given her that stupid dancing girls bracelet flooded Mac's mind and overwhelmed his senses for a split second he could swear he smelt her perfume…. It had felt like a huge piece of his heart had been cut out these last few weeks without Stella how could he ever have been so foolish to let her go? What if he was too late what if Sinclair was right and Stella was already dead…how could he ever survive without his soul mate?

"Mac are you alright?"Angell asked curiously.

"Yes fine" Mac reverted back to the business at hand, he had to focus he'd know if Stella was dead he was positive of that even if he couldn't prove it to anyone else because his own heart would stop beating too "What do we know"

"I checked with the neighbours no-ones seen any sign of Alexandra Brown since yesterday and I showed her neighbours a picture of Stella but nobody remembers seeing her either" Angell told them.

"The place seems empty" Danny confirmed "We gotta warrant though we just need your say so."

"We four nobody else goes in I don't want half the NYPD trailing through destroying valuable evidence" Mac ordered.

"The worse threat to any crime scene other cops" Danny agreed wholeheartedly.

Alexandra Brown's apartment was on the fourth floor of the building and consisted of a neatly kept sitting room, a small kitchen, one bedroom and of course a bathroom. Each Detective took a room "Well I can tell you one thing about this Alexandra Brown" Flack announced coming out of the bedroom "She likes playing dress up" He held up the empty wrapper from a replica NYPD costume for the others to see.

"She likes to read too" Mac told him "There must be dozens of books here on the history of New York and its architecture."

"I got her Lap top" Danny told the group.

"…..And I found these in the bathroom cabinet" Angell produced two containers filled to the brim with prescription anti-psychotic medication.

"Like father like daughter" Flack rolled his eyes.

"These haven't been opened" Mac took one of the containers off of Angell to give it a closer examination "Look at the pharmacy stamp this was dispensed over three months ago same time she started volunteering at Mrs McIntyre's centre."

"Somebody's been a bad, bad girl and not taken her medication" Flack waived a finger in reproach.

"Did things just get better or worse?" wondered Danny.

"Please Alex you know you can trust me …tell me what you meant … I need to know exactly what your father is planning" Stella frantic with worry tried to appeal to the red head; Please god don't let Mac come to any harm she silently begged anything but that.

"Can't it's a secret" Alex put a finger to her lips "Shush" She mouthed.

"Alex people who care about each other don't keep secrets from each other" Stella desperately tried again "If you truly care about someone there is no need to nothing else matters."

"You like him a lot don't you Mac Taylor I mean" Alex asked unexpectedly.

"Alex because I can trust you I'm going to tell you something only one other living person knows" Stella told her.

"You can trust me Stel with anything" Alex yapped happily like a little puppy dog tossed a bone.

"I love Mac I always have from the first day I met him and I always will" Stella admitted "So I can't let your father hurt him can you understand that?"

"I suppose….."Alex pondered "…but that's not right is it? I mean you love Daddy and me don't you? If you don't love us then why would daddy want me to bring you here?"

"Of course I do….."Stella lied through her teeth to avoid losing the ground she'd made with Alex "I wouldn't have told you how I feel about Mac if I didn't would I?"

"That does make sense I guess…." Alex sounded relieved.

"So please Alex will you tell me now what your father intends to do to Mac Taylor? You know I care about you and I'm not going to leave don't you?" Stella tried again.

"Promise you won't leave us again Stel" Alex insisted.

"I swear to you Alex if you tell me what I want to know then I'll never leave you again" Stella promised "Ever."

"Alright then…" Alex still sounded doubtful "Remember I said they are going to demolish the building we were in earlier blow it up…"

"How does that involve Mac" Stella frantically quizzed the younger woman.

"He'll be there ….. When the building blows up he'll been inside looking for you" Alex explained "There is a bunker underneath the building and daddy is leading him to the right place you see once Mac Taylor opens the door the explosives are rigged to detonate instantaneously….he'll never be able to leave."

"Oh god no!" Stella groaned out loud; Mac was doing what he did what he always had done best following the evidence and it was going to get him killed he was playing straight into Buchannon's hands; she had to get out of her no matter what because without Mac she simply didn't want to live.

"Would you like some cake whilst we wait Stel?" Alex waived a slice hopefully under her nose.

"Well" Mac asked Lindsay as he and the others returned to the Lab to find Lindsay, Adam and Hawkes waiting in the conference room waiting.

"You were dead on the money when it came to Alexandra Buchannon Mac" Lindsay told him "She was formally adopted by her mother's sister Katrina Brown and her husband when she was thirteen by all accounts Alexandra was something of a child prodigy excelling in the sciences in particular and yes she does have red hair just like dear old dad."

"Just your garden variety super villain then" Flack chuckled grimly to himself "Any insights Sheldon description sounds awfully familiar to me."

"Yeah shut up and listen Superflack or I'll hit you with my stack of kryptonite" Hawkes adlibbed back.

"Knock it off the both of you we don't have time for this" Mac growled.

"Should I continue" Lindsay asked carefully.

"Yes please Linds" Mac nodded.

"Alexandra was smart enough to attend Chelsea U two years earlier then everybody else in her class she majored in Historical Architecture and was writing a paper on the Bronx area's history but there where problems eight months into her first year she became obsessed with her father, she was convinced Buchannon was still alive and giving her instructions leading to Alexandra stabbing her room mate in the arm when she refused to loan her a sweater. That was the first occasion Alexandra was sectioned and when she was initially diagnosed with schizophrenia; she's tried to commit suicide several times and has been in and out of hospitals and secure units ever since her last stay ended three months ago" Lindsay finished.

"Which would explain the unopened pill bottles we found" Mac concluded.

"Sounds like a regular chip of the old Buchannon block to me" Flack shook his head despairingly "Stella doesn't stand a snowball's chance does she?"

"I didn't hear that Don…" Mac snarled "Stella is still alive and she's depending on us, she would never give up on anybody here so we are not going to let her down ….. Not now not ever anyone who thinks different should leave now and don't let the door slam you in the ass on the way out…Stella Bonasera is coming homing is that understood?"

"Stella Bonasera is coming home" Flack repeated wholeheartedly and then one by one Angell, Danny, Lindsay, Hawkes and Adam followed suite.

"The results on the trace samples you found on the dummy are back Mac" Hawkes told him "They contained mold spores a very particular type actually only found below ground somewhere warm and moist there was nothing in apartment 1510 to account for it the most likely explanation is that they came from the place where Alexandra Brown stored the dummy for the past few months."

"Underground?" Mac pondered that particular piece of information "Nobody saw Stella or Alexandra leave did they?"

"No" Angell confirmed "Stella's SVU was still outside when we arrived."

"All the basement areas where checked fully though weren't they?" Adam asked "I know stupid question."

"Maybe….maybe not" Mac replied thoughtfully "Do we have blue prints for the building and surrounding apartment blocks."

"There was no need" Danny pointed out "We assumed Stella had been moved elsewhere when a thorough search of the area found nothing."

"When you assume you make an ass out of me and you" Mac quoted the rhyme his mom had taught him many years ago "Adam can you access the New York City land registry office's computerized archive?"

"Consider it done" The younger man bolted out of the room.

"Anything else to go on" Mac asked the rest of his team whilst they waited for Adam to return "What about the shoe."

"Definitely Megan Edwards's missing shoe DNA matched it" Lindsay said "A tiny speck of paint had stuck to the heel interestingly that particular shade of pink hasn't been produced since the late 50's according to the manufacturers

"Showtime" Adam burst back into the room and switched on the giant computer screen along the back wall "I've got the blueprints …" He beamed indicating the screen.

"What are those" Asked Angell pointing to an area on the screen which looked like catacombs underneath the apartment block.

"Nuclear bunkers" Hawkes told her "A whole network of them under the entire street they must have been added on during the cold war."

"Late 50's to be precise" Mac nodded remembering the paint speck.

"No wonder nobody saw anything….Stella never actually left" Lindsay marvelled at the beauty of Alexandra's plan "All the time we are running around the city and Stella is hidden literally right under our noses."

"Don't be too impressed Linds this madwoman still has Stella and we need to find a way down to those tunnels and I didn't see any entrances did you?" Danny cautioned his wife.

"It's there it must be" Mac insisted "Well done Adam I think you've just earned your salary for the next six months… we've found her Stella is coming home."

"Alex…..listen to me" Stella begged "Don't do this ...Don't hurt Mac you know how I feel about him and you said you wanted to make me happy I could never be happy without Mac."

"That's not true not all" Alex retorted "If it was you wouldn't be marrying that Brandon guy would you?"

"How do you know about Brandon?" Stella asked in surprise.

"Daddy told me he knows everything about you he's never been far away from either of us …. He watches over me and you to keep us safe" Alex shrugged.

"Then why have I never seen him then?" Stella asked the idea that Ray Buchannon had been hiding in the shadows for the past eight years spying on her made her blood run ice cold.

"I already told you, you will when the time is right" Alex scolded Stella "Anyway Stel you still haven't answered my question if you love Mac Taylor like you say you do why are you marrying Brandon?"

"I don't know… the truth is I don't even think I want to" Stella admitted "Not really….I thought I did at first but as time went on I began to realize that my heart belongs here in New York with Mac and it always will but it's too late to change things now, he doesn't feel like that about me and it hurts so much inside that the only thing left for me too do is run away to Miami with Brandon….see I told you I cared about you Alex I've never told anybody that before" Tears trickled down Stella's face "Nobody."

"Please don't cry Stel it doesn't matter not any more….." Alex pleaded "Daddy and me we'll take care of you Mac Taylor will be gone forever and if Brandon comes near you ever again then daddy will kill him too."

"Yes your right Alex I know that now" Stella sniffled "Please may I have a tissue there is one in my coat pocket."

"Of course you can all you need to do is ask and you can have anything you want" Alex moved forward to reach Stella.

"It's in the left pocket" Stella sniffed again "I can't reach it remember Alex? Can you help me please?"

"I will…..of course I will Stel" Alex assured her and moved so she was close enough to begin fishing inside Stella's pocket in search of the tissue.

Stella's hands moved slowly downwards as if to help Alex but seizing her chance Stella grabbed a hold of Alex's shirt front and shoved her down on to the pillows beneath them before Alex could react Stella straddled her coiling her chain around the younger woman's neck "I want the keys now Alex" She demanded.

"No you can't do this" Alex squealed trying to bite and scratch Stella "Daddy wont like it."

"Screw daddy" Stella hissed tightening the make shift noose "I'm not letting either of you hurt Mac or anybody else ever again."

"No" Alex stubbornly refused and reaching into her pants pocket tried to toss the keys away.

If Alex was quick then Stella was quicker she stamped on her captor's hand preventing Alex from her mission "I'm sorry about this Alex I really am" Stella heard bones crack under her shoe. Tightening the chain again just enough for Alex to lose consciousness briefly a trick Mac had showed her left over from his Marine days Stella stood up and grabbed the keys. With her free hand Stella quickly undid the remaining cuffs around her ankles and wrist then she placed all four on Alex securing the unconscious young woman to the concrete pole before she headed for the door.

Outside the room Stella found a flight of stairs leading upwards a door to her left led to the tunnels Alex had brought them down but without knowing her way around them Stella could be wandering around for hours and Mac would be dead before she could warn him about the explosives "Well up it is Stella" She decided and began to climb upwards. Behind her she could hear Alex regaining consciousness as she continued to climb "You promised you would never leave Stel me" Alex sobbed.

"I lied" Stella muttered over her shoulder as she headed for street level, like the building Alex had abducted her from earlier this one was abandoned too and every exit she found had been boarded shut even in the apartment Alex appeared to be using as a base camp. Frenziedly Stella dashed from room to room prying at doors and windows with no success till she found a loose board over a bathroom window in one of the second floor apartments the window was barely big enough to squeeze through but what choice did she have? Pulling off the boards she stripped off her coat, shoes and sweater then she went for it scratching her bare skin red raw as she clambered through the tiny hole.

Thankfully Stella found herself outside in an alleyway a few blocks down from where she'd been abducted from; the place was crawling with cops she could see that from here. The lights from the mass of squad cars illuminated the scene so clearly it was as bright as day, which was probably why Alex had brought them to this place Stella reflected so she could watch the carnage from a safe distance. "I'm coming Mac please be safe" Stella murmured to herself and shot off towards the flashing lights.

Mac had chosen the building Stella had vanished from to search for an entrance to the underground bunkers with Hawkes whilst Angell and Flack searched the building to the left and Danny and Lindsay took the right Adam was back at the Lab going over Alexandra's laptop; "Anybody got anything" He called out over his radio to the team, they had been searching for over an hour with no success.

"Nothing doing here" Danny told him, "Us neither" Angell reported in.

"I think I got something Mac" Adam sounded breathless he was so excited "It looks like Alexandra Brown kept a journal it was encrypted but nothing I couldn't handle she wrote everything down in it how she studied the building your in and found the bunkers apparently her uncle lived there as a child and he'd told her stories about playing in them…..please can you go to the boiler room?"

"Will do" Mac indicated to Hawkes to follow him.

"We are here Adam" Hawkes announced two minutes later "What now I don't see any entrance."

"Try touching the back wall one of the sections should feel different to the others" Adam told them.

"Boy do I feel as if I'm in some sort of twisted Agatha Christie novel" Hawkes said as he and Mac began knocking along the wall "Hercule Poirot in The bunker of death mystery."

"This one…..this one feels different" Mac announced rapping on the panel again.

"Yeah that's not plaster or stone" Hawkes agreed.

"Press the centre Mac it should just swing open" Adam instructed.

Mac did just that and with an almighty groan the panel shifted to one side revealing a set of stairs spiralling downwards into pitch black; the Lab boss shone his flashlight downwards into the abyss "I see peeling pink paint Hawkes…." He announced as the tiny beam of light bounced off the gloomy passage's walls "….And two lots of footprints in the dust someone's definitely been here recently."

"So what are we waiting for" Hawkes grinned.

"Stella are you here?" Mac yelled out as he and Hawkes descended the stairs "It's me Mac, Stella if you can hear me just hang on a little while longer I'm coming to get you."

"Stella…" Hawkes joined in "Stella."

**New York August 2001**

By the time Mac and Flack had arrived at Cutler's Peak the sun had been out and going about its daily business for a good hour or so heralding the start of a fresh, new scorching hot summer's day. Mac could already feel the intense heat beating down on his neck and shoulders as the two men entered the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff of Cutler's Peak Ben Davies and his two deputies Harry Martin and Millie Brooks were already there waiting for them as Flack had said they would be. A third man was also in the room, roughly the same height as Mac he looked to be in his early seventies with balding white hair and a paunch that betrayed his fondness for donuts.

"I'm Ray Buchannon Snr" He introduced himself quietly "Ben tells me Ray junior is in trouble again that he's abducted a young woman and you need to interview me."

"Stella…..her name is Stella Bonasera" Mac told him "Firstly Sir we understood that you where dead."

"Ray's mom she wasn't well upstairs if you know what I mean" He tapped the side of his head to illustrate his point "I'm afraid she told him and everyone else that when she took him to Las Vegas said that I was dead to them anyway so what was the difference" Ray Snr sighed tiredly "Of course Ray found out eventually and you can imagine the rest."

"Ray Snr was in the county hospital for 6 weeks" Sheriff Davies confirmed.

"His mental illness is hereditary then" Flack asked.

"People round here call it the Cutler curse started with Ray's great-granddaddy Charlie he killed his wife and then took his own life he was convinced the entire town was plotting to murder them both and steal their land" Sheriff Davies filled them in.

"Cutler as in Cutler's Peak" Mac queried.

"Bridget's people where one of the first families to settle here" Ray Snr told them "They struck lucky their land had a rich vein of coal running through it and it made the Cutler family extremely wealthy at one time practically everything in town was owned by them till the wall street crash in 1929 wiped them out completely."

"Do you know if Ray still owns any property here? Is there any place special he might go too" Mac pressed Ray Snr for answers "Somewhere he feels safe that no-one is likely to interrupt him."

"If you mean did he come back to see me then the answer is no he can't bear the sight of me" Ray Snr replied "You know how Bridget earned her living in Vegas yes I'm sure you must do….about her well escort work?"

"We do Mr Buchannon" Flack confirmed.

"Even though she lied to him, did those things with all those men he still worshipped the ground she walked on" Ray Snr shook his head in bemusement "The day we buried her that was the only time I've ever seen my boy cry. He blames me for Bridget's death he's convinced himself: that I forced her out of Cutler's Peak and therefore in to her former occupation …hell he blames me for everything that's ever gone wrong in his life wont he even let me see my own Grandchild" Ray Snr smiled ruefully.

"Buchannon has a kid?" Flack did a double take.

"A little girl Alexandra Bridget lives in Vegas with her mom's sister" Ray Snr explained "After Beth died Ray couldn't cope with her social services got involved it was all kind of messy."

"Beth you did meet your late daughter in law then?" Mac wanted to know.

"Just the once when Beth was expecting Lexi she and Ray came to visit me; Beth said she wanted us to bury the hatchet for the baby's sake that she wanted her little girl to grow up knowing her Grandpa Ray because her own grandpa had died when she was young and she didn't want her baby to miss out like she had" Ray Snr replied.

"Mr Buchannon you still haven't answered my question properly" Mac pointed out impatiently.

"There are a couple of places I suppose" Ray Snr stroked his chin thoughtfully "The big house is long gone was burnt down years ago but the mine is still there closed up but still accessible….Ray was always fascinated by it and then there is the fishing hole."

"What about Beth? When she and Ray visited you was there any particular place Beth liked especially….." Mac deliberately questioned the man.

"If he sees Stella as Beth as belonging to him then he might just have taken her to Beth's favourite haunts" Flack caught on to Mac's train of thought.

"The Folly" Ray Snr answered without any hesitation "She loved it up there even talked about moving up here once the baby was born."

"What is a folly?" Asked Flack mystified.

"When the Cutler family was in its hay day they built themselves a big house halfway up the mountain think Batman and stately Wayne Manor fellas" Harry Martin put in "Complete with its own lake in the grounds local legend as it that Cutler's Water is bottomless."

"Ok with you so far" Flack nodded.

"Charlie Cutler spent sometime travelling around Europe in his youth particularly in England and when he came home he built himself a kind of weekend place by the lake based on similar buildings called Follys that he'd seen touring British Stately Homes" Millie Brooks added "I suppose you could say it looks like a overgrown log cabin."

"Charlie liked to think of himself as Lord Charles of Cutler's Peak alright" Ray Snr agreed wholeheartedly "Like I said earlier the House burnt down years ago but the Folly is still there it and the land surrounding it was the one piece of the Cutler empire Bridget still owned."

"Which your son would have inherited when she died" Mac concluded.

"Yes he did" Ray Snr agreed.

"By any chance do roses grow there" Flack questioned the group "Wild roses?"

"As a matter of fact they do all over the place" Ben Davies answered him "How could you possibly know that Officer Flack?"

"An educated guess" Mac said.

"That's the place Mac it's got to be where he takes his 'special' girls, where he's taken Stella" Flack was adamant.

"Yes I agree" Mac nodded his ascent "Can we get there without Ray seeing us I don't want to spook him whilst he still thinks he is safe the safer Stella is."

"Ray knows every inch of that place you won't be able to get near him" Ray Snr shook his head sadly.

"You have a suggestion though don't you" Mac studied the older man carefully.

"I do" Ray Snr confirmed "Let me come with you he's still my son and if there is any chance at all that Miss Bonasera and my boy can both walk away from this in one piece, if anyone can get through too him then that's got to be me right? Besides the Cutler place is not easy to find and I know my way up there just as well as Ray Jr."

"Mr Buchannon I don't think that's such a good idea you said yourself Ray hates you" Flack pointed out.

"Did you never hate you old man at all Officer Flack?" Ray Snr asked him.

"All the time" Flack smiled wistfully.

"Me too but if my old man had asked me for the moon I'd have given it to him just because he was my dad" Ray Snr smiled "What would you have done?"

"Fathers and their sons…..Point taken" Mac relented "If we can't go unobserved which is the quickest way to the Folly."

"I can show you" Ray Snr indicated to the group to follow him as he made his way to the Sheriff's office door.

"Mac what happens when Buchannon finally realises Stella isn't Beth" Flack fretted as the two men followed the others outside.

"Don't even go there Don, don't even think about going there" Mac all but ordered him.

"So I thought after breakfast we could go walking on the mountain maybe have a picnic if you'd like…." After Buchannon's attempt at first aid he'd cleared away his things and disappeared for over an hour when he'd eventually returned he'd brought with him a pair of sneakers which he'd placed on Stella's feet. Buchannon had unclipped the handcuff from the bed post and placed it on to his own wrist then he'd all but dragged Stella here into the bathroom of the strange little house "Pee" he demanded of her "You must want to go by now."

"I wasn't aware peeing was a tag team event" Stella spluttered, her chest might be aching after being forced to move and she really could use the bathroom but she wasn't going to do anything Buchannon wanted without a fight "Or should we add voyeurism to your list of party tricks now."

"It's not like I haven't seen it all before but since it obviously means so much to you…." He closed his eyes and clamped his free hand over them "Pee Beth" He ordered again "This is the best your ever gonna get from me."

"Such a gentleman" Stella grumbled and quickly did what she had too then Buchannon dragged her out of the bathroom down a hallway into the kitchen were he undid the cuff around his wrist and attached it to a stout wooden chair bolted to the floor forcing her down onto it whilst he 'fixed breakfast' for them both he'd told her.

"You really are completely insane aren't you Buchannon" Stella shook her head in disbelief.

"Hurry up and eat your breakfast sweetheart" He carried on regardless indicating a bowl of oatmeal and toast filled rack laid out before her "Before it gets cold."

"No" Stella stated firmly "No I don't think I'm gonna do that."

"I made it especially for you Beth; put honey in the oatmeal just the way you like it…" Buchannon scooped up a spoonful and waived it in Stella's face "You don't want to miss out now do you."

"Oh I don't think I'm missing anything at all" Stella retorted.

"I said eat it" Buchannon grabbed her chin and forced her mouth wide open then he shoved the spoon in "Eat it" He bellowed trying to force Stella to swallow but instead she began to gag. As her gasps for air grew louder he relented and removed the spoon "What's wrong with you" He hollered.

Stella spat out the oatmeal "I said no" She wheezed.

"Now what did you want to go and do that for" Buchannon seethed "Everything I do for you Beth…you throw it back in my face you deliberately make me mad at you" He raised his right hand and slapped Stella across the face so hard it caused her head to snap back "Remember you asked for this" He insisted raising his hand again but before he could touch Stella an alarm began to ring somewhere deep within the bowels of the house.

"Shit" Buchannon swore under his breath and ran out of the kitchen.

The alarm stopped as suddenly as it had started and Buchannon returned two minutes later "It seems company is calling sweetheart" He informed Stella opening a large storage cupboard and pulling out an over stuffed rucksack he swung it over his shoulders "Taylor ….got here sooner than I'd planned but never mind I'm nothing if not resourceful am I" Then he produced a hunter's rifle and knife tucking the latter into his waistband "Just means you get to see those roses earlier than you had thought eh?"

He undid the handcuff attaching her to the chair and slid it around his wrist "Get up" he ordered Stella.

"I'm not going anywhere with you Buchannon" Stella flatly refused "Not ever."

"Then I'll just have to make you wont I" He threatened and grabbing hold of her shoulders he forced her to her feet.

"Ugh" Stella moaned as pain racked her damaged chest at the sudden movement.

"Now move" Commanded Buchannon "I will drag you if you don't."

"Just where do you think your going to go Buchannon" Stella asked, reluctantly following him out of the cabin "There is nowhere left to run."

"You'll see I've got everything planned Taylor won't come between us this time we will be together for all eternity" He promised marching them both upwards towards the top of the mountain.

It could only have taken ten minutes for the small convoy to reach their destination but to Mac it seemed more like hours as he and Flack in their SVU had followed Ray Snr turning off the main interstate onto an almost invisible barren country road leading to the remains of the Cutler's estate.

"Ray Snr was right Mac I swear if we hadn't got our own tour guide I don't think we would have found this place in a month of Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays never mind Sundays" Flack had commented "If anyone was describing the perfect place for a serial killer to operate this would be it."

"That's what scares me Don" Mac bit his lip "Stella is all alone up here with Buchannon isn't she?"

"Do you think we can trust him ….Ray Snr I mean" Flack asked as they arrived at what appeared for all the world to be wrought iron Castle gates.

"I hope so" Mac sighed bringing the SVU to a stop "At this point I don't think we have any other choice really."

"Somebody's clearly been watching too many Errol Flynn movies" Flack stared up at the gates as both he and Mac climbed out of the SVU to join the others.

"Somebody's been here recently look tyre tracks…." Mac indicated to Flack and the others "…..And the gate's hinges have been oiled."

"Looks like your hunch was right Mr Buchannon" Flack pushed open the gate nearest to him and peered inside "More tyre tracks" He announced to his companions then they all heard it a clicking noise like a light switch being pressed on.

"Flack get down" Mac yelped and lunged at the younger man shoving him to the ground just quick enough so that the bullets fired from the shotgun behind the gate missed his head by mere millimetres.

"Everyone alright" Mac called out as he got to his feet.

"No" Flack dabbed at his ear with his handkerchief as he stood up "Damn thing wing tipped me."

Mac assessed his friend's injury "It's just a scratch you'll live…..anybody else hurt?"

"No we got lucky" Sheriff Davies answered.

"Speak for yourself" Grumbled Flack.

"There will be more booby traps" Ray Snr said and Mac noticed he shared an odd look with Ben Davies.

"He isn't making this easy" Ben agreed.

"Hey guys I think I've found something" Millie Brooks pointed to a small white box attached to the inside of the gate Flack had opened "Motion detectors there is one on the other gate too."

"Well if Buchannon didn't know we were here before he does now" Flack sighed.

"How far to the Folly from here Mr Buchannon" Mac asked their guide.

"Five minutes but we will need to get out and walk the road ends half way" Ray Snr informed him

"That should be all fun and games" Flack shook his head.

"Let's get going shall we" Mac climbed back into the SVU "We don't have much time."

"Walk quicker" Buchannon ordered Stella.

"I can't move any quicker… my chest it hurts to breathe" She panted "Maybe if you undid the handcuff…."

"I don't think that is such a good idea do you? We don't want any more accidents like yesterday's now do we Beth?" He'd sneered "Somebody could get seriously hurt this is not a place to wander about in if you're not used to the outdoor life."

"Accident? So that's what we are calling it now" She'd spat back angrily.

"Just move" He'd hollered and grabbing her by the curls half dragged her onwards.

They continued to moving steadily upwards for roughly ten minutes or so behind her Stella could see the Cabin fade slowly away and with it her hopes of a rescue "Please hurry Mac I need you" She whispered to herself.

"What" Buchannon demanded to know steering them along a rough hewn track cut into the mountainside.

"I said I need to pee" She gasped in pain the higher they climbed the more it hurt her to draw breath.

"Again so soon?" He queried "Somehow I don't think so ….now move."

"I have a weak bladder when under stress" Stella tried to stall him.

"In that case go ahead pee knock yourself out" Buchannon snickered "Want me to undo your jeans Stella."

"Don't you dare touch me Buchannon" Stella hissed "I don't need the bathroom anymore."

"Now there's a surprise quit stalling and move your ass" He shoved her along the little track.

Hurry Mac Stella prayed silently as she tried to carry on her breath becoming increasingly laboured, Buchannon had reverted to calling her by her own name she didn't think that was a good development no not good at all.

Down below them Mac and the others had come to the end of the road and were making their way on foot towards the Cabin which was now visible by the lakeside.

"Place looks abandoned I don't see any activity no sign of either Stella or Buchannon" Mac peered through the binoculars he kept in his kit "The front door is open though…..Flack you and I'll take the front Sheriff you and your people take the back."

"Fine by me" Sheriff Davies nodded.

"What about me?" Ray Snr wanted to know.

"Stay here" Instructed Mac "We may need you later and I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

"But I can help….." Ray Snr began to argue.

"He's right Ray you can help more by staying here if Ray Jr is in there we will need you in one piece to talk him out not riddled with bullet holes" Sheriff Davies advised.

"Alright I'll stay here" Ray Snr said half-heartedly.

"Spread out but for pete's sake people be careful" Sheriff Davies warned the group "God only knows what Ray Jr has left for us is in that Cabin."

The five Police officers formed a semi-circle and with their guns in hand made their way through the long grass towards the cabin "Buchannon are you in there?" Mac hollered.

Instead of the reply he expected Harry Martin let out a scream "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh" He roared dropping to the ground "My leg."

"It's a bear trap" Davies exclaimed.

"Nobody move" Growled Mac flipping open his cell phone he dialled a number "We need backup and paramedics up here…..but nobody moves until I say so is that understood?" Then he closed his cell phone "State troopers are on their way but we need to find a safe path through for them and us."

"I've an idea" Millie announced and removed her nightstick from her belt, then extending it as far as possible she began to probe the ground around her.

"Absolutely brilliant" Flack grinned.

"I'll say" Ben agreed and pulled out his own nightstick to follow suite.

"There's another one" Millie called out heading towards the injured Harry when her nightstick scraped something something metal.

"I've got one too" Ben announced going the opposite way towards the Cabin.

Between them the two Officers managed to create a pathway for Mac and Flack to follow; Flack went to help Millie and Harry whilst Mac joined Ben. Cautiously Mac entered the Cabin Ben in tow "Buchannon…Stella" He yelled out again but only silence greeted him.

"They're gone we're too late" Ben indicated to the obvious signs of a hurried departure all around them and holstered his gun.

"Is there anywhere else he might take Stella" Mac demanded to know holstering his own gun.

"Sure I could name several places but the right one that's a different kettle of fish" Ben told him.

"What about Ray Snr" Mac asked "Would he know?"

"There is only one way to find out isn't there" Davies rubbed his temples tiredly.

"The Bride's Bowyer that's were Ray Jr is taking Miss Bonasera I'd bet my life on it" Ray Sr told Mac and Davies.

"You have no proof of that Ray he could be going anywhere….." Davies argued.

"He's not …..He's going to the Bride's Bowyer just think about it Ben doesn't all this sound familiar to you booby traps, finding the Cabin abandoned, Miss Bonasera's kidnapping…" Ray Snr countered.

"Coincidence is all….."Davies offered.

"Coincidence my ass….." Ray Snr harrumphed.

"Gentlemen…..will somebody please tell me what your talking about?" Mac bellowed "What about this Bride's Bowyer place? Why would Buchannon go there?"

"The Bride's Bowyer is a little grassy spot directly up above us …" Davies pointed out the area to Mac "Remember what we told you earlier about Charlie Cutler killing his wife?" He asked.

"Yes" Mac nodded "Of course I do."

"Well we left a few things out" Ray Snr confessed "You see Rebecca Cutler Charlie's wife she realised that he wasn't well and that he meant to do her harm so she left him went to stay at the Cabin for awhile till he could sort himself out. Anyways one summer morning her brother Tommy Gibbs and his wife Emma came to visit her they found the main house on fire but before they could get to the Cabin he was shot in the kneecap just like we were shot at earlier. Emma ran back to town to get help but by the time help arrived the Cabin was deserted and the main house had all but burnt to the ground no trace of either Rebecca or Charlie though. A search party was sent out and half a day later they found them both dead, it seems Charlie had forced his wife to attend some kind of macabre wedding reception for two; everything had been set out for them right down to cucumber sandwiches and a wedding cake there was even a Gramophone playing music. Rebecca was found dressed in her wedding gown with her skull bashed in and yes before you ask she was lying in a bed of wild roses" Ray Snr filled Mac in "The place has been known locally as the Bride's Bowyer ever since."

"You should have mentioned this earlier" Mac seethed.

"Until we arrived here I didn't think it was relevant" Ray Snr shrugged "How could I have known?"

"You still should have told me the whole story but I think your right Mr Buchannon I think Ray Jr is trying to recreate Charlie and Rebecca's last moments" Mac groaned "You didn't say how Charlie died."

"He shot himself…..stuck a hunting rifle in his mouth and blew his own head off" Ray Sr replied.

"Let me guess wearing the suite he wore at his wedding" Mac rolled his eyes.

"Yeah" Ray Snr nodded.

"When Beth came to visit did he take her to the Bride's Bowyer?" Mac questioned Ray Snr.

"Yes Sir he did" Ray answered sadly.

"See Beth didn't I say how pretty it was up here" Buchannon spread his arms wide to indicate the view in front of them "Roses everywhere."

"Can we stop now….." Stella rasped, her chest hurt more with every breath she took.

"Just a few more minutes then we'll be there sweetheart" Buchannon informed her "Your gonna love it."

"I don't think I've got a few more minutes in me….." Stella wheezed, her legs seemed to be turning to lead she could barely move them.

"Does somebody want a Fireman's lift is that it?" Buchannon grinned.

"Buchannon I…." Before she could complete her sentence an almighty coughing fit overtook her body causing her to double over and spit out a small amount of blood stained spittle onto the ground.

"I'll take that as a yes sweetheart" Buchannon lifted her off her feet and over his shoulders "This takes me back a few years to when we first started dating and I was your Tarzan how clever of you to remember Beth and so romantic" He sighed happily "It's just like old times."

To Stella his voice sounded a million miles away, something was definitely wrong with her she knew that. The pain in her chest was worsening all the time making her fight it for every breath she took and she had never felt so tired it took every ounce of self control she had to remain awake. She had to focus on something or someone, Mac she focused on him because before she died Stella wanted him to know the truth that she loved him and always would it didn't matter to her that his heart belonged to Claire she just wanted him to know how she felt. They must have finally arrived at their destination because Buchannon placed her on her own two feet again then she felt rather than saw him undo the cuff around his wrist and hook it around something a tree branch was it? She wasn't sure but then the world seemed to spin and Stella slid down into the soft grass beneath her, she tried to picture Mac's face in every tiny detail to force herself awake but the darkness still came to take her anyway.

The next thing Stella remembered was Buchannon standing over her "Here drink this" He said and shoved a canteen of water down her throat.

"What's going on?" She managed to ask "Why are you dressed like that?" When she'd passed out he's been wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, hiking boots and a hunter's vest now he was dressed in a tux complete with bow tie and a pink carnation and shiny black leather brogues. Behind him she could see a picnic had been laid out on a fresh white linen table cloth she saw sandwiches, bread rolls, a bottle of champagne with two long stemmed glasses and in the centre something that looked for all the world to be a Wedding cake with a bride and groom on top. Then there was the music she could hear music playing "As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die…." That damn song again she spotted a portable CD player to her right.

"See I said I'd make everything perfect for us didn't I?" Buchannon beamed "Everything is exactly the same as our wedding Beth we can start all over again in fact…" Buchannon opened his rucksack and produced a wedding dress "I had it dry cleaned for you especially."

"Y…you don't seriously expect me to put that on" Stella snorted defiantly.

"Have it your own way….." Straddling her proceeded to undo the buttons of the shirt she was wearing then he slipped it down one shoulder and licked at the bare skin it revealed "Mmmm delicious" He grunted.

"Get off me Buchanon" Stella wriggled trying to shove him away with her free hand.

"Will you wear the dress" He asked.

"Yes I'll wear the damn dress" She muttered.

"Good that's settled" He undid the cuff around her wrist and brought her to her feet "I'm going to be a gentleman this time and allow you some privacy to change" He stated and frog marched her behind a group of large rose bushes on her left "No funny stuff now and watch your footing if you move back too far you'll fall and there is nothing but fresh air between here and the ground understood."

"Yes" Stella grumbled "I understand."

"Here then you have two minutes" He handed her the dress and moved back around the otherside of the bushes.

Carefully peeping over her shoulder Stella realized Buchannon was right two feet further she would be over the cliff edge, far below her she could see the lake glittering in the late afternoon sun and next to it a black spot the cabin she been held in she decided. Buchannon had made damn sure she couldn't run even if her body was up to it, the sheer drop was behind her, he was in front holding a fully loaded hunting rifle and as promised absolutely everywhere she looked was covered in rose bushes.

"I minute 37 seconds" Buchannon called out a warning.

Reluctantly Stella shed the jeans and shirt she was wearing and donned the wedding dress it was a cream silk affair that reached to her ankles with three quarter length white sleeves and sequins in a heart shaped pattern decorating the bodice. "I'm done" She announced making her way around the rosebushes to rejoin Buchannon but her body was again overcome with coughing and again she spat up more blood.

""Don't worry I got you Stella" Buchannon grabbed a hold of her as her legs sagged underneath her once more and her eyes slid shut for a moment then he slid a scarlet rose into her hair "There that's perfect you look so beautiful" He smiled "So clean, so pure not like those other whores."

"As I kissed her goodbye, I said, All beauty must die…." The song continued to play on a continuous loop as Buchannon tried to force Stella onto her feet.

"Get away from her now Buchannon" A very familiar voice hollered at them.

"MmmmMac….." Stella managed to force both her eyes and mouth open; Mac, Don Flack and two men she didn't recognize where standing facing her and Buchannon like Mac Flack and the man in a sheriff's uniform had their weapon's drawn.

"I said let her go Buchannon you have nowhere left to hide" Mac repeated "Your not going to hurt her anymore."

"Hurt her? I'm not the scum who left her all alone crying in the dark now am I?" Buchannon sneered tightening his grip around Stella's body "I treat my girl better than that like a princess….."

"A punch bag you mean" Flack interjected "Just take a look at her" He nodded towards Stella "…..And we all know what you did to you wife."

"You don't know anything about my wife" Howled Buchanon moving both himself and Stella backwards towards the cliff edge his rifle firmly pressed against her neck "In fact you know so little about women in general that you didn't even realize your so called best friend was shafting your girl did you?"

"Enough son" Ray Sr bellowed out "Enough let her go Miss Bonasera needs medical attention you must realize that."

"Her name is Mrs Buchannon and I can take care of my own wife thank you" Buchannon insisted.

"No her name is Stella Bonasera and she is most definitely not your wife" Mac moved a little nearer "We all heard you just admitted it and you said I made her cry how could I do that if she was your wife like you say she is?"

"Please son listen to him" Ray Snr tried again "Let me take you both home we can talk this through as much as you want all day and all night I don't care just let us help you."

"Help me? Like you helped my mother?" Buchannon spat at his father and took another step backwards "Your not taking Stella away from me like you did her nobody is."

"Buchannon I'm not asking you this time I'm telling you let her go" Mac hissed.

"Son think about Lexi she needs her daddy doesn't she" Ray Snr pleaded.

"You said you wanted us to be a family" Stella managed to say.

"That was plan A welcome to plan B" Buchannon snarled "I told you I wont let Taylor have you not ever you belong to me Stella."

"Buchannon if it's me you want to hurt me then fine take me on like a man would" Mac hollered lowering his weapon "Don't hide behind Stella."

"Still playing the heroic Marine Taylor aren't we? Doesn't matter whose life you ruin in the process" Buchannon moved to take another step backwards "Well this time I'm taking away something you care about just like you took my career away from me."

"You ruined your own life Buchannon but it's easier to blame everyone else isn't it? Me, your father because then you don't have to take responsibility for your actions for all those women you hurt, for Seth Stockton's demise, for killing Beth your nothing but a snivelling coward picking on anyone who is weaker than you because you haven't the balls to face the truth" Mac moved closer.

"Stay back" Buchannon dug the gun deeper into Stella's neck "All beauty must die remember that Taylor" He announced and began to squeeze the trigger but Stella doubled over coughing again. Caught of guard Buchannon relaxed his hold of her and summing every last scrap of strength she possessed Stella elbowed him in the abdomen. Out of reflex Buchannon let go of her and she collapsed to the ground, Buchannon aimed his rifle at Mac and pressed his trigger but before he could get a proper shot off Mac's bullet struck him straight in the chest causing Buchannon to somersault backwards over the cliff edge into the lake below.

"Stella" Mac and Flack chorused and both men charged to her side whilst Davies radioed for help.

"Is she still breathing" Flack asked worriedly as Mac listened to her chest.

"Yes she's got a pulse it's weak but steady" Mac confirmed relived.

"Oh god Mac look at her…..look at what that bastard did to her" Flack fretted.

"It's all my fault Flack" Mac cradled her too him "It's all my damn fault."

"Hey guys…." Stella's eyes fluttered open briefly "What took you so long?" Then she passed out again.

"As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die…." The song looped one last time.

**May 2009**

Stella's stocking feet pounded on the pavement as she ran at top speed towards the squad car lights but she could think of nothing but Mac and getting to him before he opened the wrong door. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the man and woman leaving the apartment to her right till she ran right into them.

"Ouch" Don Flack exclaimed "Stella! What the hell….."

"Stel…" Jess through her arms around her friend "Thank god you're alright."

"I'll explain everything later guys I promise but right now we need to find Mac" Stella gently pushed Jess away "This whole place is rigged to blow sky high as soon as he opens the wrong door."

"Which door" Jess asked "Mac and Hawkes are searching the tunnels beneath us for you."

"That's just it I don't know which one" Stella told them shivering in the cold night air "We have to warn him."

"Here put this on" Flack insisted slipping his jacket off and draping it around her shoulders "Before you develop pneumonia."

"Thanks Flack" She grinned and the three of them sprinted off towards Mac's location.

"Flack can you radio Mac and Hawkes tell them to get out" Stella asked as they ran.

"We've been trying to but we can't get a proper signal down there something to do with the depth and the material's used in constructing the Bunker's" Flack replied as they pressed on.

"We were on our way to join them when you appeared" Jess explained.

"We need to split up" Flack realised as they arrived at the apartment building the entrance to the Bunkers had been found in "Jess you round everyone up and tell them to get the hell out of here we'll find Mac and Hawkes."

"I'll get bomb disposal out here too" Jess nodded shooting off towards the apartment block Danny and Lindsay where currently in.

"How far back do you suppose these tunnels go" Hawkes wondered out loud.

"Too far" Grumbled Mac, the two men had been moving down the tunnel trying every likely looking wall panel and door which might lead them to the Bunker Stella had been taken to although they had found plenty of other entrances to the surrounding buildings and numerous antechambers they had yet to find the correct door which led them to Stella.

"Did Adam find anything else on the Lap top" Queried Hawkes "Any clue at all to which Bunker Alex Brown planned on using?"

"No there is no X marks the spot this time unfortunately" Mac replied "Stella….Stella you need to help us out here" He yelled again "Yell at me Stel, tell jokes, sing if you want but we need you to make noise so we can find you….."

All he got in return was silence and the dripping of water from a loose pipe somewhere "Do you think she's already dead?" Hawkes asked soberly.

"I can't think like that Hawkes not even for a minute I can't lose her" Mac admitted "Stella's got to be alive it's as simple as that because I'd die without her."

"Stella Bonasera is coming home" Hawkes repeated their impromptu mantra from earlier.

"Exactly" Mac grinned then he spotted something silver at the far end of the tunnel glistening in the beam of his flashlight "Hawkes do you see what I see" He wondered out loud.

"I do" Hawkes confirmed.

"Stella" Both men yelled at the top of their lungs and sped of towards the little silver light; arriving at their destination they found a brand new, silver coloured padlock securing a cast iron door.

Mac touched one of the door's hinges his fingers came back covered in grease "Cleaned and freshly oiled I'd say that we've found the right place" he announced.

"Everything else around here was full of rust" Hawkes concurred "This as got to be it."

"Stella" Mac tried again hammering on the door as hard as he could "Are you in there."

"We need to get this open but even if we both charged it together it wouldn't give" Hawkes stared at the door thoughtfully.

"Sheldon if anybody asks you didn't see this, it never happened" Mac pulled out a small black case from his jacket pocket and from that produced a small metal lock pick then he proceeded to rather expertly if unexpectedly undo the padlock.

"Mac Taylor ….cat burglar extraordinaire who knew" Hawkes joked.

"It's amazing what you learn in the Marines" Mac agreed dropping the padlock to the ground.

"So what are we waiting for" Hawkes moved to push the door open.

"No!" Two voices screamed out simultaneously and Mac found himself football tackled to the ground by someone, a curly haired, green eyed someone whilst Hawkes was shoulder charged up against the wall by Don Flack.

"Stella" Mac beamed up at her, she was filthy, bare foot and half undressed but to Mac she'd never looked lovelier.

"Don't even think about it Taylor" She advised sitting on his chest "Or we'll all learn a new meaning to open door policy."

"Oh Stella" He sighed happily then reaching up to cup her face he pulled her down to him covering his lips with her own into a kiss filled with warmth and passion.

"Guys…this is all very Romeo and Juliet and all but boom remember Stel?" Flack released Hawkes.

"Boom? What boom?" Hawkes was mystified "Have you been taking Messer lessons?"

"It's a long story….." Stella got to her feet and pulled Mac up with her "Let's just get out of here ok?"

"Definitely" Mac grinned and taking hold of Stella's hand he led the way out of the tunnel.

**New York August 2001**

Sitting outside the ER Mac Taylor sighed heavily, he hated hospitals from the antiseptic smell to the sterile surroundings; all those months watching his father slowly pass away from cancer had left him with an unshakable fear that if anyone dear to him ever entered such a facility he'd never see them again. This evening though Mac had moved mountains just to get into this one because she was here, Stella had been rushed into the County General Hospital and until he knew for certain that she would be fine he wasn't going to budge not even if World War 3 broke out at this moment in time nothing mattered more than Stella's well being. He'd been so worried he'd left Flack alone on Cutler's Peak with Sheriff Davies to co-ordinate the search for Ray Buchannon's remains and to wait for the CSI's to arrive to examine the Cabin.

Unable to stand doing nothing any longer Mac rose and began to pace up and down, he'd been doing that for five minutes or so when the area suddenly became a hive of activity. An unconscious Stella attached to several monitors was wheeled out on a gurney by a team of concerned looking Doctor's and Nurses's.

"What's going on" Mac grabbed the arm of the nearest Nurse as the other's sped up the corridor with Stella "Where are they taking her?" He demanded to know.

"Miss Bonnasera has two broken ribs one as pierced her left lung so we need to get her into surgery ASAP" The Nurse explained pushing Mac away "If you want I can show you somewhere to wait."

"Yes please" Mac nodded gratefully.

Two hours into his vigil Flack appeared "Any news" He asked concerned taking a seat next to Mac.

"No nothing" Mac shook his head.

"She's a fighter Mac she wouldn't still be alive if she wasn't" Flack sought to reassure him.

"She wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for me" Mac pointed out "You where right all along Don, I should never let her go through with the swap."

"Mac about the train station I thought I heard you say something about Stella….." Flack admitted.

"You mis-heard anything I said back there, it was too noisy and we were both under a lot of stress" Mac insisted.

"Your going to Chicago with Claire aren't you" Flack stated softly.

"It's the best thing for all of us, I can't risk being the cause of anything like this happening to Stella ever again besides I'm a happily married man and she doesn't need or want me like that she's my best friend nothing more right Don?" Mac asked.

"No she doesn't feel like that about you" Flack straight out lied "Your like a big brother to her is all." Please forgive me Stel he silently prayed when Mac is gone I will make you so happy I promise.

"So you misheard then didn't you" Mac prompted.

"Yes, absolutely I misheard and we don't need to mention anything to Stella" Flack agreed wholeheartedly reaching out his hand.

"Deal" Mac shook it firmly.

"Deal"Flack grinned.

"How is the search going back on Cutler's Peak" Mac queried desperate to change the subject.

"Well still no sign of Buchannon, Ben Davies is planning to send divers into the lake but it appears that there maybe something to the legends about it being bottomless. According to the boffins at Chelsea U it is unusually deep for a water feature of its type and there is a better than good chance we may never recover what's left of Buchannon." Flack filled him in.

"What about the Cabin" Mac wanted to know.

"Aiden is there along with half the Lab from what they have found so far they think Grace Costello and Tracey Clarke where not Buchannon & Stockton's only victims they found five left women's shoes including one of Stella's hidden in a cupboard. Not to mention blood traces all over the place, finger prints, DNA samples the list is endless and they have barely started" Flack rubbed his eyes tiredly "It will take months to sort through especially as we are having to watch for any nasty little surprises Buchannon may have left for us."

"The rose is running true to form" Mac shivered at the though "Stella would have been next there is no doubt in my mind Don."

"Detective Taylor" A Doctor dressed in green scrubs approached both men.

"Yes" Mac jumped up "Stella …..Detective Bonasera is she ok?"

"She's being taken to recovery you'll be pleased to know that the operation was a success and she should make a full recovery" The Doctor smiled.

"Can I see her" Mac wanted to know.

"In a while once we have made her comfortable" The Doctor replied "As I understand it Detective Bonasera has no immediate family is there anyone at all we need to notify?"

"She has us" Flack stated simply getting to his feet "We are her family."

"Honey I'm home" A weary Mac Taylor called out to his wife several hours later as he entered their apartment.

"Thank god you're alright" Claire Taylor threw her arms around him "I thought I'd lost you."

"Clare you should know by now your stuck with me for life" He chuckled drawing her into him.

"Butch told me about what happened up there with Buchannon is Stella ok?" She released him from the hug.

"She will be" Mac assured her "With time but she'll be in hospital for a while yet."

"I'd like to go see her say thank you before we leave for Chicago that's if we are leaving….." Claire's voice trailed off.

"Yes we are" Mac confirmed "Once the paperwork arrives I'll transfer to the Chicago office."

"Mac that's wonderful you'll love it back home in Chicago" Claire beamed "Just wait till you see the apartment we are going to get it's huge and it's only 10 minutes from Millie's place" She hooked an arm through his to lead him into the sitting room "Before we leave we should go down to that little spot on the beach I think we might still have that silly ball you love so much somewhere. My last day here at the New York Office will be on September 12th…."

**New York May2009**

After Stella had been examined by the paramedics and had been passed fit she and the team had returned to the Lab, Lindsay had processed her for evidence and then she'd showered before changing into the spare set of clean clothes she kept in her locker. Leaving the women's locker room she found Mac waiting for her outside.

"Hey Stel" He greeted her shyly.

"Hey yourself" She smiled.

"They found Alex Buchannon where you said they would she's been sectioned indefinitely she wont believing the state mental hospital anytime soon" Mac told her "I thought you'd like to know."

"I hope she gets the help she needs this time" Stella shook her head sadly "None of this is her fault not really…Did she kill Megan Edwards?"

"Honestly I don't know" Mac replied "There is no clear, definitive evidence either way."

"What about Ray Buchannon any trace at all" Stella frowned.

"Same as always missing presumed dead" Mac shrugged.

"I wonder" Stella shook her head causing her curls to rustle "I really do."

"Hug?" He asked hopefully, opening out his arms.

"Yes please" She cuddled up close to him.

"I'm so sorry Stel for everything…" He told her cradling her close "I've been behaving like a total moron these past few weeks I know that now. I'd trust you with my life for what its worth I always have. You're the best CSI and Cop I've ever met don't ever doubt that even if you do drive me crazy most of the time."

"I've missed you so much Mac nothings been right without you" She told him "I'm sorry for the way I've behaved too."

"Two of a kind right from the start" He chuckled kissing her forehead "Please don't leave me Stel….I don't want to lose you not now not ever."

"You couldn't lose me if you tried Mac I'm going nowhere" She assured him.

"What about Brandon" Mac wondered.

"Mac do you know where Brandon is? I need to speak to him urgently Danny said he'd been arrested and to ask you to explain" Stella pulled away slightly.

"Oh I guess you would" Mac replied crestfallen "He…..well I had to get rid of him somehow Stel he was being a pain in the ass" Mac flustered "So I tricked him into hitting me then I had him arrested for assaulting a police officer…."

"Did he do this" Tenderly Stella stroked the bruise on his cheek.

"Yeah he did" Mac told her savouring the feel of her skin next to his.

"Oh I see in that case…." Stella kissed him on his bruise "That better" She enquired.

"I think I need a second opinion before I can be sure" He told her slyly.

"Good idea" She grinned and moved off down the corridor a ways.

"Hey where are you going what about my second opinion?" Mac wanted to know.

"To find Brandon to tell him I can't marry him" Stella answered.

"Really? Mac beamed catching her up "Why?"

"Because I love you dumdum I always have and I always will" She confessed "I can't marry him it just wouldn't be right he needs a wife who wants him with all of her heart I just want you."

"Stella Bonasera you never cease to amaze me" Mac laughed out loud, his heart felt like it would explode from his chest he was so happy "I love….no I'm in love with you too. I don't know why or how that happened but every time I'm near you I'm so glad it did."

"Well are you going to stand there all night catching flies or are you going to kiss me?" She demanded to know.

Mac drew her into his embrace again then he kissed her fully on the lips, using his tongue to part them and find her tongue.

"You taste so good" He mumbled softly nipping at her bottom lip.

"Your not so bad yourself" She repaid the compliment on his bottom lip "I really do have to go and cancel the wedding though" His tongue duelled with hers "Well eventually."

"Marry me" Mac said simply in between kisses.

"What did you just say Mac" Stella asked astonished.

"I said marry me" He repeated "Tomorrow afternoon at 3.30pm in St Mary's church Manhattan, I'll be the one in the dress white's marry me."

"We've been together for all of two minutes and you want to get married" She was flabbergasted.

"No we've been together for nine years Stel and I want our happy ever after I think after everything we've been through we've earned it; we have….no I've already wasted too much precious time. I want to spend my life with you Stel, make babies and be sitting next to you in the old folks home when we are eighty. I'm not going to change my mind so why not? You've been arranging your perfect wedding for the past few months haven't you? All our friends are going to be there anyway aren't they? If needs be I'll hire a helicopter to get my mom here in time all you need to do is say yes…."

**New York October 2001.**

"Stel I'm still not sure you should be doing this" Don Flack worried as he opened the Lab's door to allow them both entry "You only got out of the hospital last week."

"I need to know Mac is well not exactly Ok but safe I guess" Stella pleaded "Losing Claire like that it's got to be killing him inside you know how much he loved her."

"It's killing all of us Stel….every single person on the planet" Flack shook his head "When we lost the Twin Towers we lost part of ourselves and I don't know if we can ever get that back."

"Me neither" She agreed "Nobody's seen him since he left my place yesterday and something just wasn't right with Mac. I'm scared for him Flack, I just want to make sure Mac's not done anything stupid….I…ordinarily I don't think he would but this is not an ordinary situation is it?"

"No" He said softly "He will be alright Stel…I'm sure of it …"

Stella switched on her computer and accessed the software she needed to track Mac down one that traced a person's credit card usage "We're in luck Flack his card was used in a bar twenty minutes ago someplace called the Half Moon it's just around the corner from Mac's building."

"All right we'll go see that he's safe then please will you go home and rest?" Flack pleaded.

"Yes" Stella nodded "Once I know he's safe."

When they arrived at the bar they found Mac nursing a double whiskey all alone in a booth, his eyes where blood shot he clearly hadn't shaved for a few days nor did he look like he'd changed clothes since Stella had seen him last and he was roaring drunk.

"Mac" Stella crouched down by him wincing a little her ribs still hadn't healed completely "Why don't you let Flack and me take you home."

"Nope can't do that gotta date with my buddy Jack Daniels here….." Mac slurred taking a swig at his drink.

"I think you've been spending too much time with Jack" Flack took the glass from him "Stella's right let's get you home."

"Nope don't wanna" Mac insisted "There's no point I haven't got a home anymore ….she's gone…"

"Mac please" Stella tried again "When was the last time you showered or eaten, please let me look after you." She reached out to stroke his cheek.

"I said no" He lashed out furiously knocking her to the floor.

"Stella" Flack yelped and helped her to her feet "You alright?"

"I'm fine" She brushed herself down "I don't think we can say the same for Mac thought."

"I'm so sorry Stel" Mac began sobbing "I didn't mean too….I would never hurt you…." He threw his arms around her in a bear hug "So sorry….." tears trickled down his face.

"Quickly Flack help me get him out of here" Stella instructed him.

Flack grabbed Mac's right arm and shoved it around his neck, Stella copied the gesture with his left arm and between the two of them they managed to manoeuvre him out of the bar and home. Stella fished in Mac's pockets and produced his keys "Love you Stel" He breathed alcohol fumes into her face.

"Yes and I love you too" Stella assured him "We both do don't we Flack" She said opening Mac's front door and entering.

"Oh geez Stel look at the state of this place" Flack shook his head in despair, half eaten food lay everywhere, dishes had been stacked up in the kitchen sink, the bin was over flowing with empty bottles of whiskey and it looked like Mac had been tearing lumps out of the furniture "I didn't realize it had gotten this bad he's falling apart."

Stella moved forward and something crunched under her feet bending down she retrieved a smashed photograph of Mac and Claire on their wedding day "Then we put him back together" She stated calmly placing the photograph back on the shelf it had come from "Help me get him undressed and into the shower then we can start on this place."

"Yes Ma'am" Flack grinned and gave her a mock salute "Alright Marine this way to the latrine" He and Stella hauled Mac off into the bathroom and together they stripped Mac down to his underwear.

"Stel I um I think I should take it from here" Flack suggested "I think once he's sober Mac would agree."

"Fair enough" Stella nodded then collecting Mac's dirty clothing she gracefully made her departure.

Twenty minutes later Flack found her putting away clean dishes in a now gleaming kitchen "This place looks a lot better Stel" He admired her handiwork.

"Where's Mac?" She asked softly.

"Sleeping it off safely tucked up in his bed" Flack informed her "He's been showered, shaved and is resplendent in clean undies."

"Thanks Flack" She smiled and tossed a pair of rubber gloves at him "I'll hoover you dust.

"Just call me CinderFlack" He joked putting the gloves on.

"Flack do you remember what I told you the night of the summer ball and what you promised" Stella asked cautiously as they made their way back into Mac's sitting room.

"I do" He replied.

"After losing Claire like this…..he can never know; me and Mac are meant to be friends nothing more and I want to be here for him when he needs me the most" Stella told him softly "I don't want to cause him anymore pain than he's already going through if he finds out then it would destroy us our friendship, everything would become far too complicated and how could I help him then?"

"He won't hear anything from me Stel" Flack vowed out loud, I can make you love me like you love him I'm sure of it he concluded silently to himself.

Mac's head felt like an entire Scottish pipe band was marching up and down in it, cautiously he opened one eye firstly it was daylight and secondly he was in his own bed he realised relief enveloping him; opening the other eye he stretched out his arms to give Claire a good morning hug only to find her side of the bed empty breaking his heart all over again. How had he gotten to bed he couldn't remember maybe if he concentrated on solving that mystery then the dull ache in his chest wouldn't hurt quite as much. He vaguely remembered being in a bar the Half Moon and people two people Stella and Flack they had wanted to take him home and oh god he'd pushed Stella over what if he'd hurt her he panicked. Mac found his cell phone on the night stand by his bed and frantically dialled her number but too his surprise Stella's phone rang out from his lounge. Puzzled Mac slid out of bed and found himself wearing clean boxers and a t-shirt something else he couldn't remember happening bewildered he followed the beeping sound. Padding out of his bedroom he concentrated on his cell phone and the beeping noise he was concentrating so hard he didn't notice someone walking the opposite way doing exactly the same thing with her phone till they collided.

"Ouch" A curly haired someone in pink striped pyjamas yelped out in surprise.

"Claire?" He asked thinking for one glorious moment it had all been some terrible nightmare and she was home safe with him but as he helped the woman to her feet his heart sank "Stella" He whispered forlornly.

"I was coming to check on you" Stella explained ignoring the disappointment brutally apparent in his voice even if it did break her heart "You called me remember" She showed him her cell phone.

"I…I don't remember much about last night but I do recall pushing you over I wanted to see if you were alright" He shuffled anxiously "I'm so sorry Stel I didn't mean to hurt you….."

"I know" She told him "Will you let me take care of you now?"

"Yes" He nodded "I'd like that."

"Good when was the last time you ate?" She asked.

"I don't remember" He admitted "I've not really felt all that hungry I guess."

"Then why don't I fix us some breakfast then?" She suggested.

"Breakfast? What time is it?" He asked in astonishment.

"7.30am you've been out nearly twelve hours" Stella explained gently steering him into his lounge.

"And you've been here all night?" He eyed her attire as he sat down in his favourite chair.

"On the sofa" She indicated her makeshift bed "I….we didn't want you to be alone."

"We" He wondered.

"Flack and me" She confirmed "He's coming over later to do the day shift."

"Um Stel how did I get like this" He blushed a deep red indicated his clothing.

"Flack was in charge of personal hygiene I'm afraid you'll have to ask him" Stella smiled.

"Flack….." Mac sighed in relief "Thank god."

"Why don't I go start breakfast" Stella chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Stel thanks for everything" He told her as she padded into the kitchen "For rescuing me last night and for this place I know what a state it…..we were both in."

"Best friends forever remember" She grinned.

"Best friends forever" He repeated.

Whilst Stella busied herself making them breakfast Mac opened a draw in his desk and pulled out a transfer form an unsigned transfer form, slowly he tore into minute pieces then he tossed it in his trash bin. It had been one of life's little ironies that the form had arrived the day after the two towers had fallen and in all the chaos, when he still had hope that Claire was still alive in some hospital somewhere he'd shoved them in there meaning to sign them later when Claire came home now though he'd come to a decision. Picking up the photo of himself and Claire on their wedding he spoke softly "I'm so sorry sweetheart for everything, I miss you so much but I can't leave New York not now. I know it's selfish but the only thing keeping me sane right now is Stella she's my best friend and I can't lose her too my heart wont let me…..forgive me" Then he replaced the photograph and headed into his kitchen wondering how his heart could simultaneously feel like it was dying without Claire but full of life simply because Stella Bonasera was in his world.

**New York January 2010.**

After finally unpacking the last box of their stuff they had brought with them to their new home Stella Bonasera-Taylor leant forward and repositioned their wedding photograph on the bookshelf yet again. She smiled affectionately at it remembering how handsome Mac had looked in his dress uniform and just how happy they had both been and still were. That's when she felt it just a little movement in her stomach "Mac come quick" She yelled for him and twenty seconds later her husband appeared by her side having dashed down two flights of stairs from their new attic where he'd been stashing away packing cases and storage boxes.

"It's not time is it?" He panted "It can't be…."

"She's kicking our baby girl is kicking come feel" Stella grinned thrilled, at just under eight months pregnant she was practically glowing.

Chuckling Mac placed his hand on her swollen stomach and again baby Taylor moved "Did you feel that Stel? Little Stella is definitely a chip off the Bonasera block" He beamed proudly.

"Millie…..Amelia Stella Taylor Millie for short" She corrected him.

"That's what I said little Stella" He crouched down and rolled up her shirt "Isn't that right princess" He kissed Stella's bump.

"Mac we have been through this already….." Stella sighed "Two Stella's is just too confusing."

"I like Stella it's my favourite name always has been" He insisted resting his head next to Stella's stomach "And she agrees with me don't you princess" He laughed as the baby kicked again.

"Alright we'll have to agree to disagree on that one at least for the time being" Stella chuckled as he began butterflying kisses slowly up her exposed stomach and onwards as he stood, till he found her lips.

"I love you Mrs Taylor" He told her as they moved apart till only their foreheads met "You and little Stella."

"We love you too" Stella whispered back.

"Come and see the nursery with me your gonna love it" Mac pulled away slightly and taking hold of her hand guided her towards the stairs and upwards.

"It's finally finished then? I was beginning to think our baby would be in high school before either of us had sight of it" Stella chuckled.

"Yes well if there wasn't such a baby boom at the lab I wouldn't be short of staff and I could have got finished sooner" Mac insisted "Besides it is kind of your fault yours and Professor P's."

"Just how do you make that out" Stella asked her husband as they reached the top stair.

"Because we all drank the home made wine Professor P gave you as a wedding present and now you, Jess and Lindsay are all due to give birth within a few days of each other" Mac argued "And I don't believe in coincidences."

"It's just an old Papakota family wedding tradition is all" Stella chortled as they reached the baby's room "Nothing to worry about."

"Now I am worried what exactly was in that stuff anyway?" He asked.

"Didn't you read the label?" She chuckled again.

"I did" He nodded "It was all Greek to me literally."

"It's just a blessing of sorts" Stella translated "For a long and happy marriage, lots of children and um extended male virility."

"Stella!" Mac howled "Basically it's liquid Viagra."

"Greek style" She burst out laughing "Look it's not as if you needed any persuading to get passionate with me is it? Or extra fire power for that matter we spent practically our entire honeymoon in bed, two weeks in Venice and I didn't get one Gondolier ride not one."

"I was making up for lost time" Mac laughed too as the entered the nursery "You still could have warned me poor Flack is still shell-shocked."

"How was I supposed to know twins run in Angell's family?" Stella quipped running an appreciative eye around her baby's room "Oh Mac it's wonderful" She beamed happily.

The walls had been decorated in teddy bear wall paper and soft egg shell pink paint, the drapes matched the wallpaper and underneath their feet the lush carpet was the same shade of pink as the walls. The baby's changing unit was made of white wood with a pink trim and in the sent of the room stood an antique crib complete with teddy bear mobile dangling over it, soft pink hand knitted blankets and the largest selection of teddies and soft toys any kid could wish for; a matching rocker again with a hand knitted blanket draped over it completed the set.

"I stashed the rest of the things my mom sent us in our room" Mac explained watching the 10000 kilowatt smile on Stella's face as she ran her hands a long the crib "I think she may be a little over excited at being a granny for the first time the news channel is reporting an unprecedented shortage of pink and white baby wool in the greater Chicago area."

"These are amazing and you know it" Stella stroked the blanket "I love it and our baby is going to love it too."

"She wants to know if it's still alright to come visit once the baby is born said she didn't want to be in the way" Mac told her.

"It's more than alright Mac I won't our baby to know her nana Millie she's the only grandparent she's got" Stella assured him "My mom will never be able to visit will she?"

"I'll tell her next time we speak" Mac smiled relieved.

Grinning herself Stella touched his cheek lightly and placed a warm kiss on his lips "Thank you for the crib and the rocker you used your guitar money didn't you?" She whispered resting her forehead against is.

"It doesn't matter….. I know how much you loved this stuff from the moment you saw it" He rationalised "I can always save up again for a guitar you and our baby are all that matters to me."

"In that case I could really use a bath want to come scrub my back for me" Stella suggested "After all we have to christen this house properly now don't we Mr Taylor."

"Absolutely Mrs Taylor" Mac agreed wholeheartedly as they sauntered of towards the bathroom arm in arm "You know when you married me it did give you unlimited access to my wardrobe you don't have too wear this old thing if you don't want too" He tugged at her shirt.

"What this shirt? No fear nothing on this earth will ever make me part with it you gave me this the day we met remember?" She grinned.

"I do Mrs Taylor it was the happiest of my life" Mac grinned back.

"Me too Mr Taylor" Stella smiled at her husband "Me too."

**Las Vegas July 2010.**

Ray Langston pulled up to the lakeside to find Jim Brass already waiting for him "I think it must be full moon or something because this is the weirdest one I've seen for a while" The Captain greeted him.

Ray followed his colleague down to the water's edge in the water lay the corpse of a young woman early twenties maybe, curly haired with something etched into her forehead "All beauty must die" Langston read out loud.

**FINIS.**

**A/N: Well that's it folks all good things must come to (admittedly a somewhat belated) end but we got there eventually didn't we? Thank you all for your patience over the past what is it eighteen months or so you have been magnificent. Of all the Smacked fics I've written I think this is the one I'm most proud of it's just a crying shame that the Stella character won't be appearing in CSI: NY any longer at least for the foreseeable future anyway, it's definitely the show's loss and a huge mistake on PV's part, most likely the biggest she will ever make. I'd like to thank MK for the past six years and wish her well you and Stella were both magnificent too. I'm not particularly interested in anything this new character has to offer I think the heart and soul of the show as been ripped out without Smacked so other than finding out what as happened to Stella I probably wont be watching season7 unless of course MK can be convinced to come back as a guest star at some point. I do intend to carry on writing Smacked fics though if only to show PV that whatever she does, so how hard she tries to sell new girl as god's gift to CSI:NY Stella is not forgotten nor ever will be and can never be replaced something I hope my fellow smacked writer's continue to do too. SOS SAVE OUR SMACKED!**


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